Python: Installing Flask dependency

This documentation is part of the Creating a REST API guide. View the full guide here: Step-by-step guide to building a REST API with Flask in Python.

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You need one main dependency for this example: Flask.

Flask is designed to be simple and fast, so you can build and deploy web APIs without extra overhead. It includes built-in support for routing, templating, and HTTP request handling, which helps you move from idea to working API in minutes.

You can install Flask and python-dotenv using pip:

pip install Flask python-dotenv

We include python-dotenv to manage environment variables securely and conveniently. You will see its use in later steps.

After installing, freeze your dependencies to a requirements.txt file:

pip freeze > requirements.txt

Freezing dependencies ensures everyone uses the same package versions. This small step can save hours of troubleshooting later.