Running Python Flask rest api on Windows / IIS

Question

What is the best option to run a Python Flask rest api service on a windows machine? Not on Azure

I have tried multiple options using fastcgi and httphandler and a windows service.

I want to know what other use to host a Python Flask rest api on a windows server in a production environment

Prahlad Yeri · Accepted Answer · 2017-07-02 14:56:34Z

2

If you want to just "run" a flask app on windows, then all you need is python. Install flask and you are good to go:

pip install flask

Once you have flask, you can write any script using it and just call it using python:

# hello_world.py
from flask import Flask
app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/')
def hello_world():
    return 'Hello, World!'

flask is WSGI compatible, so you can host this script locally by running python hello_world.py on the DOS prompt.

But if you talking about production hosting on a windows machine instead of linux, then I don't think its a good idea. Most popular options for WSGI hosting like uwsgi and gunicorn are linux only (unless you perform hackish workarounds like cygwin).

answered Jul 2, 2017 at 14:56

Prahlad Yeri

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4 Comments

shivas Over a year ago

So you would not recommend hosting a python service on windows? You are right the only options i have seen for windows deployment are hackish. that's why i reached out to see what other were doing.

Prahlad Yeri Over a year ago

@shivas Yes, you can install cygwin and in theory use gunicorn or uwsgi on top of that, but its performance and stability needs to be seen as those components are never built for windows platform. The only windows option that flask deployment guide recommends is the Azure/IIS based.

Dan Over a year ago

If I run the code in your answer using python hello_world.py, can I see the app in my browser? On which port would I find?

Prahlad Yeri Over a year ago

Its usually port 5000, but might differ based on your configuration. When you run the script from a command prompt using python, it'll usually print the port number information like this: Running on http://127.0.0.1:5000/ (Press CTRL+C to quit)

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