,About the Book
Python is a flexible language that can be used for much more than just script development. By
knowing how the Python RESTful APIs work, you can build a powerful backend for web
applications and mobile applications using Python.
You'll take your first steps by building a simple API and learning how the frontend web interface
can communicate with the backend. You'll also learn how to serialize and deserialize objects using
the marshmallow library. Then, you'll learn how to authenticate and authorize users using Flask-
JWT. Apart from all this, you'll also learn how to enhance your APIs by adding useful features,
such as email, image upload, searching, and pagination. You'll wrap up the whole book by
deploying the APIs to the cloud.
By the end of this book, you'll have the confidence and skill to leverage the power of RESTful
APIs and Python to build efficient web applications.
About the Authors
Jack Chan started programming at the age of 10. He was an active participant in worldwide
programming contests at university. Since graduation, he has been working in the finance and IT
industries for more than 10 years, building systems that analyze millions of transactions and
positions to spot suspicious activity. He has leveraged the powerful analytical Python libraries to
perform data analysis and performance optimization for a trading system that works at a
microsecond level. He has an in-depth knowledge of the modern software development life cycle,
which uses automated testing, continuous integration, and agile methodologies. Among all
programming languages, he found Python to be the most expressive and powerful. He has created
courses and taught students all over the world, using Python as the teaching language. Inspiring
aspiring developers to take on the software engineering career path has always been Jack's goal.
Ray Chung is a developer and an instructor. He loves helping students learn to code and master
software development. He is now self-employed and develops web applications, network
applications, and chatbots using Python. The first program he sold was a network application that
helped clients to configure, maintain and test thousands of multi-vendor network devices. He's
experienced with big projects such as a Marathon's online registration system, rental car
management systems, and more. He has worked extensively with Google App Engine,
PostgreSQL, and advanced system architecture design. He has been a self-taught developer for
many years and knows the most efficient ways to learn a new skill.
Jack Huang is a programmer with more than 7 years of experience in developing web applications
in Python, Javascript, and .NET. He is skilled in web frameworks such as Flask, Django, and Vue,
as well as in PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, MongoDB, RabbitMQ, Redis, Elasticsearch, RESTful API
design, payment processing, system architecture design, database design, and Unix systems. He
has written applications for an accessories shop platform, an ERP system, a divination web
application, a podcast platform, a job search service, a blog system, a salon reservation system, an
e-commerce service, and more. He also has experience in handling large amounts of data and
,optimizing payment processing. He is an expert web application developer who loves coding and
is constantly following the newest technology.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this book, you will be able to:
Understand the concept of a RESTful API
Build a RESTful API using Flask and the Flask-Restful extension
Manipulate a database using Flask-SQLAlchemy and Flask-Migrate
Send out plaintext and HTML format emails using the Mailgun API
Implement a pagination function using Flask-SQLAlchemy
Use caching to improve API performance and efficiently obtain the latest information
Deploy an application to Heroku and test it using Postman
Audience
This book is ideal for aspiring software developers who have a basic-to-intermediate knowledge
of Python programming and who want to develop web applications using Python. Knowledge of
how web applications work will be beneficial, but is not essential.
Approach
This book takes the learning-by-doing approach to explain concepts to you. You'll build a real-life
web application by implementing each concept that you learn in theory. This way, you'll reinforce
your new skill.
Hardware Requirements
For the optimal experience, we recommend the following hardware configuration:
Processor: Intel Core i5 or equivalent
Memory: 4 GB RAM (8 GB preferred)
Storage: 35 GB available space
Software Requirements
We also recommend that you have the following software installed in advance:
OS: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit, Windows 8.1 64-bit or Windows 10 64-bit, Ubuntu Linux, or
the latest version of OS X
Browser: Google Chrome/Mozilla Firefox (the latest version)
Python 3.4+ (the latest version is Python 3.8: from https://python.org)
Pycharm
Postman
Postgres Database
, Conventions
Code words in the text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames,
dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows:
"Next, we will work on the create_recipe function, which creates a recipe in memory. Use
the /recipes route to trigger the create_recipe function and the methods = [POST] argument to
specify that the route decorator will only respond to POST requests."
New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on screen, for example, in
menus or dialog boxes, appear in the text like this: " Then, select Definition and set the password.
Click Save".
A block of code is set as follows:
if not recipe:
return jsonify({'message': 'recipe not found'}), HTTPStatus.NOT_FOUND
Installation and Setup
Before we can do awesome things with data, we need to be prepared with the most productive
environment. In this short section, we will see how to do that.
Installing Python
Go to https://www.python.org/downloads/ and follow the instructions specific to your platform.
Installing Pycharm Community Edition
Go to https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/download/ and follow the instructions specific to your
platform.
Installing Postman
Go to https://www.getpostman.com/downloads/ and follow the instructions specific to your
platform.
Installing Postgres Database
We are going to install Postgres on our local machine:
1. Go to http://www.postgresql.org and click Download for the download page.
2. Select macOS or Windows, depending on your operation system.
Python is a flexible language that can be used for much more than just script development. By
knowing how the Python RESTful APIs work, you can build a powerful backend for web
applications and mobile applications using Python.
You'll take your first steps by building a simple API and learning how the frontend web interface
can communicate with the backend. You'll also learn how to serialize and deserialize objects using
the marshmallow library. Then, you'll learn how to authenticate and authorize users using Flask-
JWT. Apart from all this, you'll also learn how to enhance your APIs by adding useful features,
such as email, image upload, searching, and pagination. You'll wrap up the whole book by
deploying the APIs to the cloud.
By the end of this book, you'll have the confidence and skill to leverage the power of RESTful
APIs and Python to build efficient web applications.
About the Authors
Jack Chan started programming at the age of 10. He was an active participant in worldwide
programming contests at university. Since graduation, he has been working in the finance and IT
industries for more than 10 years, building systems that analyze millions of transactions and
positions to spot suspicious activity. He has leveraged the powerful analytical Python libraries to
perform data analysis and performance optimization for a trading system that works at a
microsecond level. He has an in-depth knowledge of the modern software development life cycle,
which uses automated testing, continuous integration, and agile methodologies. Among all
programming languages, he found Python to be the most expressive and powerful. He has created
courses and taught students all over the world, using Python as the teaching language. Inspiring
aspiring developers to take on the software engineering career path has always been Jack's goal.
Ray Chung is a developer and an instructor. He loves helping students learn to code and master
software development. He is now self-employed and develops web applications, network
applications, and chatbots using Python. The first program he sold was a network application that
helped clients to configure, maintain and test thousands of multi-vendor network devices. He's
experienced with big projects such as a Marathon's online registration system, rental car
management systems, and more. He has worked extensively with Google App Engine,
PostgreSQL, and advanced system architecture design. He has been a self-taught developer for
many years and knows the most efficient ways to learn a new skill.
Jack Huang is a programmer with more than 7 years of experience in developing web applications
in Python, Javascript, and .NET. He is skilled in web frameworks such as Flask, Django, and Vue,
as well as in PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, MongoDB, RabbitMQ, Redis, Elasticsearch, RESTful API
design, payment processing, system architecture design, database design, and Unix systems. He
has written applications for an accessories shop platform, an ERP system, a divination web
application, a podcast platform, a job search service, a blog system, a salon reservation system, an
e-commerce service, and more. He also has experience in handling large amounts of data and
,optimizing payment processing. He is an expert web application developer who loves coding and
is constantly following the newest technology.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this book, you will be able to:
Understand the concept of a RESTful API
Build a RESTful API using Flask and the Flask-Restful extension
Manipulate a database using Flask-SQLAlchemy and Flask-Migrate
Send out plaintext and HTML format emails using the Mailgun API
Implement a pagination function using Flask-SQLAlchemy
Use caching to improve API performance and efficiently obtain the latest information
Deploy an application to Heroku and test it using Postman
Audience
This book is ideal for aspiring software developers who have a basic-to-intermediate knowledge
of Python programming and who want to develop web applications using Python. Knowledge of
how web applications work will be beneficial, but is not essential.
Approach
This book takes the learning-by-doing approach to explain concepts to you. You'll build a real-life
web application by implementing each concept that you learn in theory. This way, you'll reinforce
your new skill.
Hardware Requirements
For the optimal experience, we recommend the following hardware configuration:
Processor: Intel Core i5 or equivalent
Memory: 4 GB RAM (8 GB preferred)
Storage: 35 GB available space
Software Requirements
We also recommend that you have the following software installed in advance:
OS: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit, Windows 8.1 64-bit or Windows 10 64-bit, Ubuntu Linux, or
the latest version of OS X
Browser: Google Chrome/Mozilla Firefox (the latest version)
Python 3.4+ (the latest version is Python 3.8: from https://python.org)
Pycharm
Postman
Postgres Database
, Conventions
Code words in the text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames,
dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows:
"Next, we will work on the create_recipe function, which creates a recipe in memory. Use
the /recipes route to trigger the create_recipe function and the methods = [POST] argument to
specify that the route decorator will only respond to POST requests."
New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on screen, for example, in
menus or dialog boxes, appear in the text like this: " Then, select Definition and set the password.
Click Save".
A block of code is set as follows:
if not recipe:
return jsonify({'message': 'recipe not found'}), HTTPStatus.NOT_FOUND
Installation and Setup
Before we can do awesome things with data, we need to be prepared with the most productive
environment. In this short section, we will see how to do that.
Installing Python
Go to https://www.python.org/downloads/ and follow the instructions specific to your platform.
Installing Pycharm Community Edition
Go to https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/download/ and follow the instructions specific to your
platform.
Installing Postman
Go to https://www.getpostman.com/downloads/ and follow the instructions specific to your
platform.
Installing Postgres Database
We are going to install Postgres on our local machine:
1. Go to http://www.postgresql.org and click Download for the download page.
2. Select macOS or Windows, depending on your operation system.
