How to create a Python Web Server?

Are you interested in learning how to create a Python web server? Then you are on the right article. Python is a popular and versatile programming language that can be used for web development, and many resources are available to help you become web developer ready. Let’s jump right into the article.

Introduction

A web server is a software program that handles HTTP requests and serves web pages to clients over the internet. Web servers are an essential part of the modern internet. They provide the infrastructure for hosting websites and web applications. There are many different types of web servers and programming languages that people use to create them, and Python is a popular choice due to its simplicity and versatility.

In this article, we’ll look at how to create a basic Python web server using the http.server module from the Python Standard Library. We’ll also discuss some advanced options for customizing the server, such as handling different types of requests, serving static files, and using a web framework like Flask or Django. Let’s start.

Prerequisites for Creating a Python Web Server

Before you start creating your Python web server, you’ll need to make sure you have the following tools and software installed on your computer:

• Python 3: You can download and install the latest version of Python from the Python website. Make sure you install Python 3, as the http.server module is not available in earlier versions.
• Now, we need to make sure we have the necessary modules installed. This includes the HTTP module we will use to create the web server. Additionally, you will need a web browser to test the web server.

Once you have the Prerequisites installed, you’re ready to start creating your web server.

Setting Up a Basic Python Web Server

To create a basic Python web server, you’ll need to import the http.server and socketserver modules and define a request handler class. Here’s an example of how you can do this:

# Import modules
import http.server
import socketserver

# Set port number
PORT = 1455

# Create a handler 
handler = http.server.SimpleHTTPRequestHandler

#This is for handling the HTTP requests

# Now create a server object
server = socketserver.TCPServer(("", PORT), handler)Code language: Python (python)

In this code, we set the port number to 1445 (you can choose a different port if you prefer). We then create a handler object using the SimpleHTTPRequestHandler class from the http.server module. This class handles basic HTTP requests and returns the contents of the requested file (if it exists) or a “404 Not Found” error.

Next, we create a server object using the TCPServer class from the socketserver module. This class listens for incoming connections on the specified port and passes them to the handler object to be handled.

To start the server and keep it running, you can use the serve_forever() method of the server object:

# This will start the server and keep it running
print("We are Starting web server on port", PORT)
server.serve_forever()Code language: Python (python)

To run the server, you can save the code to a file (e.g., server.py) and then run it with the python command:

python server.pyCode language: Python (python)

This will start the web server and keep it running until you press CTRL+C to stop it.

Click Here to try the code by yourself.

To access the web server, you can use a web browser and enter the URL http://localhost:1445/ (You can replace `1445′ with the port number that you have specified in the code). This will display the contents of the root directory of the web server. You can navigate to other files or directories by appending their names to the URL (e.g. http://localhost:1445/index.html).

Advanced Options for Customizing Your Python Web Server

While the http.server module is sufficient for creating a basic web server, it only handles a limited set of HTTP requests and does not provide many options for customization. If you want to create a more complex web application, you may want to consider using a more advanced server framework.

There are several popular Python web frameworks that can make it easier to create more complex web applications. Some popular options include:

• Flask: A lightweight web framework that allows you to easily create web applications with Python. Flask is a microframework, meaning it does not include many of the features found in full-stack frameworks like Django, such as a built-in ORM (Object-Relational Mapper) or an admin panel. This makes it more flexible and easier to learn, but also requires you to use external libraries for some tasks.
• Django: A full-featured web framework that includes a built-in ORM, admin panel, and many other features. Django is a popular choice for creating large and complex web applications, but it has a steeper learning curve than some other frameworks.

To use one of these frameworks, you’ll need to install it and then create a new project or application. Here’s an example of how you can create a simple Flask app:

# Import the Flask module
from flask import Flask

# Creating a new Flask app
app = Flask(__name__)

# Defining a route for the app
@app.route("/")
def greeting():
    return "Hello, Amazing Human! \n 
Welcome to the Flask Server\n 
It was Nice meeting you, See you Again!\n
Bye!"

# Run the app
if __name__ == "__main__":
    app.run()
Code language: Python (python)

This code creates a new Flask app and defines a single route that returns the text “Hello, Amazing Human! Welcome to the Flask Server! It was Nice meeting you, See you Again! Bye!”. To run the app, you can use the flask run command from the command line.

Click Here to try the code by yourself.

Using a web framework can make it easier to create more complex web applications, but it also requires more setup and requires you to learn the framework’s specific syntax and conventions.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve provided a beginner’s guide to creating a Python web server using the http.server module from the Python Standard Library. We’ve also discussed some advanced options for customizing the server, using a web framework like Flask or Django.

If you’re new to Python and web development, as mentioned you can enroll in our Backend Web Development with Python and become a web developer today!

I hope this article has been helpful and that you’ll feel confident creating your own Python web server. If you have any questions or feedback, comment down below. Have a great day ahead!