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.
About Reflex on Product Hunt
“Build web apps in pure Python”
Reflex launched on Product Hunt on April 17th, 2024 and earned 860 upvotes and 123 comments, earning #1 Product of the Day. 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.
On the analytics side, Reflex competes within Web App, Open Source and Developer Tools — topics that collectively have 701.1k followers on Product Hunt. The dashboard above tracks how Reflex performed against the three products that launched closest to it on the same day.
Who hunted Reflex?
Reflex was hunted by Michael Seibel. A “hunter” on Product Hunt is the community member who submits a product to the platform — uploading the images, the link, and tagging the makers behind it. Hunters typically write the first comment explaining why a product is worth attention, and their followers are notified the moment they post. Around 79% of featured launches on Product Hunt are self-hunted by their makers, but a well-known hunter still acts as a signal of quality to the rest of the community. See the full all-time top hunters leaderboard to discover who is shaping the Product Hunt ecosystem.
Michael Seibel