Build a web app in pure Python in minutes. Deploy with a single command. Completely customizable UI. Scale from a small prototype to a full production web app.
Hi PH! I’m Nikhil, founder of Reflex (https://reflex.dev)
We're building Reflex, an open source framework to build full stack web apps in Pure Python.
Why? Python is one of the most popular programming languages in the world. Web dev is one of the most popular applications of programming. So why can’t we make full-stack web apps using just Python?
We found that even skilled engineers who wanted to make a web app but didn’t know traditional frontend tools like Javascript / React found it too overwhelming and time consuming. And even after they made their app, deploying it was a nightmare. We wanted to provide them with a framework where they can leverage their existing Python skills to create and deploy apps, without compromising on flexibility or customization.
Recent no code and low code alternatives have issues. No code solutions that save time in the development process lack the flexibility and robustness of traditional web development. Low code frameworks are often confusing and only solve part of the problem forcing you to use multiple tools to get the job done.
We want to bridge this gap by creating a framework that is easy and intuitive to get started with, while remaining flexible and powerful to support any app.
What's our backstory? Before working on Reflex, I worked on AI projects at DriveAI and then at Apple. On these teams, we used Python for everything from data analysis to machine learning to backend services. But when it came to building user interfaces or apps so that others could use our work, there wasn't a good option to stay in Python. Suddenly, we had to switch to JavaScript and learn a whole new ecosystem.
Making a UI should be simple, but even though we had great engineers on our team, the overhead of learning a new language and tools was a huge barrier. Often making a UI was harder than the actual work we were doing!
Goals of Reflex:
1. 🐍 Pure Python: Use one language for your web app.
2. 💡 Easy to get started: Build your ideas easily without needing web development experience.
3. ⚡ Full flexibility: Web apps should match the customizability and performance of traditional web frameworks.
4. 🔋 Batteries included: Handle the full-stack from the frontend, to the backend, to deployment. Deploy with a single command reflex deploy and zero configuration.
5. 🥞 Empower Your Team: Instead of having separate dedicated engineers for frontend, backend, and infra, every engineer can now understand and work across the whole stack.
It's time to leave outdated web app development methods in the past and allow pure python developers to work across the full stack, bridging the gap between front-end and back-end development to create fully customizable and scalable web applications. That's why we're building Reflex.
What issues have you had with python web development? I would love to hear your ideas, experiences, and feedback on any and all of the above.
