Server-side framework suggestions

These are our suggested server-side technologies to use for website applications in specific scenarios, which should always sit within the usual general project structure. The focus here is on keeping the application topology as simple as possible.

Static site generators

For a basic website that doesn’t require any dynamic processing on the server, using a static site generator is recommended. Flat HTML pages will be generated at build time, leading to a deployment payload that is simply a flat collection of HTML files to be served with a simple HTTP server - usually Nginx.

This simple structure has key benefits over a dynamic application in:

  • Performance: There no dynamic processing needed to serve content

  • Security: There’s no logic processing on the server, or accessing of other systems like databases, so much less to hack

  • Predictability: There are basically no moving parts inside the deployed application, so we can have confidence in it running as expected in production

  • Simplicity: The direct serving of static files is easy to understand, and one can simply inspect the built files to discover exactly the content that is served to the user

Jekyll

Jekyll is our preferred static site generator, as it’s by far the most common, leading to a much larger community and knowledge-base. It is simple to get started with, working sensibly with even just one plain index.html file. An added bonus is its use in GitHub pages, which allows us to throw up quick prototypes of websites before setting up a full deployment pipeline.

Projects using Jekyll: cloud-init.io; conjure-up.io; design.ubuntu.com; microk8s.io; netplan.io; vanillaframework.io; mir-server.io

Hugo

Hugo is a very fast generator written in Go. It’s much more complicated to understand and use than Jekyll, but it generates pages 20-60 times faster.

We recommend using Hugo only when generator speed is an important consideration - e.g. when generating a very large number of files. Jekyll builds most sites within a few seconds, and so in most cases the benefit of keeping the application simple outweigh the importance of speeding up the build.

Projects using Hugo: usn.ubuntu.com

Dynamic Python applications

When you need logical processing on the server, you’ll need a dynamic application. Examples of websites that need dynamic processing:

Many websites may need to pull in related content from APIs - e.g. to show a list of related blog posts within a page. If the API content isn’t central to the core application, this is usually best achieved with a client-side solution using JavaScript. This can gracefully degrade if the API cannot be reached without delaying or breaking the rest of the application. In these cases, you may not need a dynamic application.

For dynamic server-side applications, our preferred language is Python, a mature language with a clear focus on ease-of-use and friendliness and extensive support for web development. Our expertise is in Python, but we remain open to exploring other languages if sensible opportunities arise.

Flask for database-less applications

Flask is a simple microframework for web development with sensible defaults. For web applications that don’t require a database back-end, Flask is our recommended framework as it gives you the flexibility to add as much or as little extra logic as needed.

Projects using Flask: snapcraft.io; blog.ubuntu.com; jaas.ai; docs.snapcraft.io

Django for databases-backed applications

Django is a very mature MVC framework that comes with a lot of features out-of-the-box. It is ideal for traditional CMS web applications, which require a database back-end. However, for simpler applications, the extra features can mean unnecessary complexity and bloat.

We currently use Django in many older projects without databases, where now we would choose Flask or Jekyll.

Projects using Django: partners.ubuntu.com; 360.canonical.com; www.ubuntu.com; www.canonical.com; maas.io; docs.ubuntu.com; assets.ubuntu.com; manager.assets.ubuntu.com; jp.ubuntu.com; cn.ubuntu.com

Last updated a month ago.

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