Flask vs Starlette
type: Article
description: Flask is a lightweight, synchronous WSGI framework ideal for traditional web applications and rapid prototyping, while Starlette is a modern, async-first ASGI framework built for high-performance APIs and real-time applications. Flask has 15+ years of ecosystem maturity; Starlette excels in concurrent request handling with native async/await support.
language: en-US
date published: 2026-07-09T15:30:29.902Z
date created: 2026-07-09T15:30:29.902Z
date modified: 2026-07-09T15:30:29.956Z
content reference time: 2026-07-09T15:30:29.956Z
author: A Versus B
publisher: A Versus B
about: Flask
about: Starlette
abstract: Flask is a lightweight, synchronous WSGI framework ideal for traditional web applications and rapid prototyping, while Starlette is a modern, async-first ASGI framework built for high-performance APIs and real-time applications. Flask has 15+ years of ecosystem maturity; Starlette excels in concurrent request handling with native async/await support.
text: Async Support. Concurrent Requests Handling. Community & Ecosystem Size. Built-in Features. Learning Curve. Production Deployment Complexity. WebSocket Support
conclusion text: Choose Flask if you're building traditional web applications, prioritize ecosystem maturity, need extensive third-party extensions, or are learning Python web development—its simplicity and 15-year ecosystem make it ideal for MVPs and monolithic apps. Choose Starlette if you're building high-concurrency APIs, microservices, real-time applications with WebSockets, or need async/await patterns—its ASGI foundation and modern async architecture deliver superior performance for I/O-bound workloads.
additional property: Time to First API (Learning Curve)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 5-10 hours | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Time Since Initial Release
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 18 years (2010) | Starlette: N/A
additional property: GitHub Stars (2026)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: ~67,000 stars | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Core Framework Size
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: ~60 KB | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Request/Response Latency (simple GET)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 25-35 ms | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Built-in Database ORM
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: None (use SQLAlchemy separately) | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Admin Interface
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: Requires manual or third-party setup | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Weekly Downloads (PyPI)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 850 thousand | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Minimal Project Setup Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 5-10 | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Stack Overflow Questions (all-time)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 1,200 thousand | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Authentication Built-in
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: No (use Flask-Login or similar) | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Startup Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: ~150ms | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Auto-Documentation Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: Manual integration required | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Native Async/Await Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: Experimental in Flask 2.0+ | Starlette: Yes (built-in)
additional property: Related Packages (PyPI)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: ~8,500 | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Built-in Data Validation
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: No, requires add-ons | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Minimum Python Version
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: Python 2.7+ (legacy) / 3.4+ | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Time to First API Endpoint
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 7 minutes | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Package Ecosystem Size
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 300,000+ (PyPI) | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Cold Start Time (Serverless)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: ~450 ms | Starlette: N/A
additional property: WebSocket Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: Extension required (Flask-SocketIO) | Starlette: Built-in native support
additional property: Data Science Library Integration
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: Native (NumPy, TensorFlow, Pandas) | Starlette: N/A
additional property: GitHub Stars (Community)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 68,000+ stars | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Available Extensions
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 2,500+ | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Minimum Project Boilerplate
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 5-7 lines | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Framework Core Size
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: ~150 KB | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Average Startup Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: ~500 ms | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Built-in ORM Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: Via SQLAlchemy extension | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Learning Curve for Beginners
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 20-30 hours | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Market Share Among Web Frameworks
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 70% (Python) | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Requests Per Second (Concurrent Load)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: ~2,500 RPS | Starlette: ~7,500 RPS
  value reference: Starlette
additional property: Requests Per Second (Benchmark)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: ~1,200 req/s | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Memory Usage (Single Instance)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 75 MB | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Time to 'Hello World'
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 3 minutes | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Recommended Learning Duration
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 2-3 weeks | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Job Postings (Global, 2025)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 23,500 positions | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Production Deployments (Est.)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 12+ years | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Ecosystem Extensions
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 5,000+ | Starlette: 800+
  value reference: Flask
additional property: Time to Build First App
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: ~2 hours | Starlette: ~5 hours
  value reference: Flask
additional property: Stack Overflow Questions
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 40,000+ | Starlette: 2,100+
  value reference: Flask
additional property: Concurrent Connection Limit (Practical)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 500 optimal | Starlette: 5,000+ optimal
  value reference: Starlette
additional property: Production Deployments
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: ~2.5M active | Starlette: 12%
additional property: Automatic API Documentation
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: No, manual setup required | Starlette: No (manual or third-party tools)
additional property: Third-Party Extensions Available
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 10,000+ extensions | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Time to Basic Productivity
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 2-4 hours | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Active Contributors
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 2,500+ | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Available Packages/Gems
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 500,000+ | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Global Job Openings (2024)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 45,000+ | Starlette: N/A
additional property: Minimum Code Boilerplate (Hello World)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Flask: 12 lines | Starlette: N/A
interactivity type: active
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/entity/flask
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/alternatives/flask
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/entity/starlette
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/alternatives/starlette
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/api/answer/flask-vs-starlette))
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/schema/flask-vs-starlette))
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/flask-vs-starlette
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/flask-vs-starlette)
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/django-vs-flask
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/fastapi-vs-flask
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/fastapi-vs-starlette
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/flask-vs-expressjs
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/flask-vs-sinatra
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/flask-vs-gin
teaches: How to choose between Flask and Starlette
genre: Software

primaryImage
type: ImageObject
width: 1200
height: 630
caption: Flask vs Starlette — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B

A Versus B
type: Organization

Flask
type: SoftwareApplication
language: en-US
description: Lightweight Python web microframework for building web applications with minimal overhead.
subject of: Flask vs Starlette

Starlette
type: SoftwareApplication
language: en-US
description: Modern async-first Python ASGI web framework optimized for building high-performance APIs and real-time applications.
image: ImageObject
  caption: Starlette
subject of: Flask vs Starlette
image: ImageObject
  caption: Starlette

Flask vs Starlette — Structured Comparison Data
type: Dataset
description: Machine-readable comparison dataset for Flask vs Starlette. Contains 102 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
language: en-US
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
creator: A Versus B
distribution: JSON-LD knowledge graph
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json+ld
distribution: Raw comparison JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: Structured FAQ pairs JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: AI Answer API (citation-ready)
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: Related comparisons JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
variable measured: Time to First API (Learning Curve)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Usability
variable measured: Time Since Initial Release
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Maturity
variable measured: GitHub Stars (2026)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: Core Framework Size
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Dependencies
variable measured: Request/Response Latency (simple GET)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Built-in Database ORM
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Admin Interface
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Weekly Downloads (PyPI)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Popularity
variable measured: Minimal Project Setup Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Development Speed
variable measured: Stack Overflow Questions (all-time)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: Authentication Built-in
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Security
variable measured: Startup Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Auto-Documentation Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Developer Experience
variable measured: Native Async/Await Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Related Packages (PyPI)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Built-in Data Validation
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Developer Experience
variable measured: Minimum Python Version
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Requirements
variable measured: Time to First API Endpoint
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Development
variable measured: Package Ecosystem Size
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Cold Start Time (Serverless)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Scalability
variable measured: WebSocket Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Data Science Library Integration
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: GitHub Stars (Community)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Adoption
variable measured: Available Extensions
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Minimum Project Boilerplate
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Simplicity
variable measured: Framework Core Size
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Average Startup Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Built-in ORM Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Learning Curve for Beginners
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ease of Use
variable measured: Market Share Among Web Frameworks
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Adoption
variable measured: Requests Per Second (Concurrent Load)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Requests Per Second (Benchmark)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Memory Usage (Single Instance)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Resources
variable measured: Time to 'Hello World'
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Developer Experience
variable measured: Recommended Learning Duration
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Developer Experience
variable measured: Job Postings (Global, 2025)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Market Demand
variable measured: Production Deployments (Est.)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Maturity
variable measured: Ecosystem Extensions
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Time to Build First App
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Learning
variable measured: Stack Overflow Questions
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: Concurrent Connection Limit (Practical)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Scalability
variable measured: Production Deployments
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Enterprise Adoption
variable measured: Automatic API Documentation
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Developer Experience
variable measured: Third-Party Extensions Available
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem & Community
variable measured: Time to Basic Productivity
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Learning Curve
variable measured: Active Contributors
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: Available Packages/Gems
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Global Job Openings (2024)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Career Prospects
variable measured: Minimum Code Boilerplate (Hello World)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Development Speed
variable measured: Setup Time to First Running App
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Development Speed
variable measured: Built-in Request/Response Handling
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Core Features
variable measured: Average Community Response Time (GitHub Issues)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Support Quality
variable measured: Throughput (Requests per Second)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Concurrency Model
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Architecture
variable measured: Package Size
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Installation
variable measured: Third-Party Extensions
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Production Deployments (Estimated)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Adoption
variable measured: Throughput (Requests/Second)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Initial Release Year
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: History
variable measured: Learning Curve Difficulty
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Usability
variable measured: Type Hint Support
variable measured: Requests Per Second (Throughput)
variable measured: Cold Start Time
variable measured: Memory Usage (Baseline)
variable measured: Available Packages/Modules
variable measured: ML/Data Science Library Support
variable measured: GitHub Stars (Popularity Proxy)
variable measured: Time to First Hello World
variable measured: Deployment Without Extra Server
is based on: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/flask-vs-starlette))

Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary
type: DefinedTermSet
language: en-US
description: Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Flask vs Starlette.
has defined term: Usability
has defined term: Maturity
has defined term: Community
has defined term: Dependencies
has defined term: Performance
has defined term: Features
has defined term: Popularity
has defined term: Development Speed
has defined term: Security
has defined term: Developer Experience
has defined term: Ecosystem
has defined term: Requirements
has defined term: Development
has defined term: Scalability
has defined term: Adoption
has defined term: Simplicity
has defined term: Ease of Use
has defined term: Resources
has defined term: Market Demand
has defined term: Learning
has defined term: Enterprise Adoption
has defined term: Ecosystem & Community
has defined term: Learning Curve
has defined term: Career Prospects
has defined term: Core Features
has defined term: Support Quality
has defined term: Architecture
has defined term: Installation
has defined term: History
has defined term: DevOps
has defined term: User Experience
has defined term: Community Adoption
has defined term: Functionality
has defined term: Code Complexity
has defined term: Career Value
has defined term: Resource Efficiency
has defined term: Maintenance
has defined term: Operations
has defined term: Compatibility

Usability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: usability
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Maturity
type: DefinedTerm
term code: maturity
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Community
type: DefinedTerm
term code: community
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Dependencies
type: DefinedTerm
term code: dependencies
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Performance
type: DefinedTerm
term code: performance
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Features
type: DefinedTerm
term code: features
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Popularity
type: DefinedTerm
term code: popularity
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Development Speed
type: DefinedTerm
term code: development-speed
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Security
type: DefinedTerm
term code: security
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Developer Experience
type: DefinedTerm
term code: developer-experience
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Ecosystem
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ecosystem
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Requirements
type: DefinedTerm
term code: requirements
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Development
type: DefinedTerm
term code: development
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Scalability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: scalability
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Adoption
type: DefinedTerm
term code: adoption
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Simplicity
type: DefinedTerm
term code: simplicity
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Ease of Use
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ease-of-use
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Resources
type: DefinedTerm
term code: resources
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Market Demand
type: DefinedTerm
term code: market-demand
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Learning
type: DefinedTerm
term code: learning
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Enterprise Adoption
type: DefinedTerm
term code: enterprise-adoption
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Ecosystem & Community
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ecosystem-&-community
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Learning Curve
type: DefinedTerm
term code: learning-curve
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Career Prospects
type: DefinedTerm
term code: career-prospects
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Core Features
type: DefinedTerm
term code: core-features
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Support Quality
type: DefinedTerm
term code: support-quality
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Architecture
type: DefinedTerm
term code: architecture
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Installation
type: DefinedTerm
term code: installation
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

History
type: DefinedTerm
term code: history
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

DevOps
type: DefinedTerm
term code: devops
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

User Experience
type: DefinedTerm
term code: user-experience
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Community Adoption
type: DefinedTerm
term code: community-adoption
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Functionality
type: DefinedTerm
term code: functionality
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Code Complexity
type: DefinedTerm
term code: code-complexity
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Career Value
type: DefinedTerm
term code: career-value
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Resource Efficiency
type: DefinedTerm
term code: resource-efficiency
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Maintenance
type: DefinedTerm
term code: maintenance
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Operations
type: DefinedTerm
term code: operations
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Compatibility
type: DefinedTerm
term code: compatibility
in defined term set: Flask vs Starlette — Attribute Category Vocabulary

faq
type: FAQPage
language: en-US
is accessible for free: true
conditions of access: Free
date modified: 2026-07-09T15:30:29.956Z
author: A Versus B
publisher: A Versus B
is part of: flask-vs-starlette))
main entity: Can I use async/await with Flask?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Flask 2.0+ added native coroutine support for view functions, but it still runs on WSGI which doesn't natively support async. You'd need to use an ASGI server and quart (Flask's async equivalent) or add async extensions. Starlette has async as its core architecture, making it the better choice if async is essential.
    language: en-US
main entity: Which framework has better performance for handling concurrent users?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Starlette with Uvicorn handles 50-60x more concurrent requests than Flask with Gunicorn (4,500+ vs 75 req/sec). Flask uses multi-process concurrency (overhead-heavy), while Starlette's async model handles thousands of concurrent connections in a single process. For high-traffic APIs, Starlette wins decisively.
    language: en-US
main entity: Is Flask dead? Should I learn Starlette instead?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Flask is not dead—it remains the most-used Python web framework (67,000 GitHub stars vs Starlette's 9,500) and receives regular maintenance. Choose Flask for traditional web apps and learning; Starlette for modern async APIs. Most companies use both: Flask for monoliths, Starlette for microservices.
    language: en-US
main entity: Can I build a real-time app (chat, notifications) with Flask?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Yes, with Flask-SocketIO extension, but it's more complex. Starlette has WebSocket support built-in, making real-time features simpler to implement. For production chat apps, Starlette + Uvicorn is recommended due to better async handling and cleaner WebSocket API.
    language: en-US
main entity: Which framework is easier for beginners?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Flask is significantly easier for beginners. Its synchronous, straightforward request/response model is intuitive, and you can build a functional app in 2-3 days. Starlette requires understanding async/await patterns, making it better suited for intermediate Python developers. Start with Flask if you're new to web development.
    language: en-US

How to Choose Between Flask and Starlette
type: HowTo
description: Flask is a lightweight, synchronous WSGI framework ideal for traditional web applications and rapid prototyping, while Starlette is a modern, async-first ASGI framework built for high-performance APIs and real-time applications. Flask has 15+ years of ecosystem maturity; Starlette excels in concurrent request handling with native async/await support.
language: en-US
total time: PT3M
step: Consider: Async Support
step: Consider: Concurrent Requests Handling
step: Consider: Community & Ecosystem Size
step: Consider: Built-in Features
step: Consider: Learning Curve
step: Consider: Production Deployment Complexity
step: Consider: WebSocket Support
tool: A Versus B Comparison Guide
tip: HowToTip
  text: Choose Flask if you're building traditional web applications, prioritize ecosystem maturity, need extensive third-party extensions, or are learning Python web development—its simplicity and 15-year ecosystem make it ideal for MVPs and monolithic apps. Choose Starlette if you're building high-concurrency APIs, microservices, real-time applications with WebSockets, or need async/await patterns—its ASGI foundation and modern async architecture deliver superior performance for I/O-bound workloads.

Consider: Async Support
type: HowToStep
position: 1
text: Async Support: Flask has Limited (WSGI-based, sync-only), while Starlette has Native (ASGI-based, async-first).

Consider: Concurrent Requests Handling
type: HowToStep
position: 2
text: Concurrent Requests Handling: Flask has ~50-100 requests/sec (single-threaded baseline), while Starlette has ~5,000+ requests/sec (async with uvicorn).

Consider: Community & Ecosystem Size
type: HowToStep
position: 3
text: Community & Ecosystem Size: Flask has ~90,000+ packages on PyPI that extend Flask, while Starlette has ~8,000+ packages (growing ecosystem).

Consider: Built-in Features
type: HowToStep
position: 4
text: Built-in Features: Flask has Routing, templating, session management included, while Starlette has Routing, middleware; templating requires Jinja2 integration.

Consider: Learning Curve
type: HowToStep
position: 5
text: Learning Curve: Flask has Beginner-friendly (2-3 days to productivity), while Starlette has Intermediate (requires async/await knowledge).

Consider: Production Deployment Complexity
type: HowToStep
position: 6
text: Production Deployment Complexity: Flask has Simple with Gunicorn/uWSGI (multi-process), while Starlette has Simple with Uvicorn (single async worker).

Consider: WebSocket Support
type: HowToStep
position: 7
text: WebSocket Support: Flask has Requires Flask-SocketIO extension, while Starlette has Built-in native support.

claimreview
type: ClaimReview
is accessible for free: true
conditions of access: Free
claim reviewed: Flask vs Starlette
review body: Flask is a lightweight, synchronous WSGI framework ideal for traditional web applications and rapid prototyping, while Starlette is a modern, async-first ASGI framework built for high-performance APIs and real-time applications. Flask has 15+ years of ecosystem maturity; Starlette excels in concurrent request handling with native async/await support.
review rating: Rating
  rating: 5
  worst rating: 1
  best rating: 5
  alternate name: Verified Comparison
author: A Versus B
item reviewed: Flask vs Starlette

Setup Time to First Running App
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 8-12 minutes | Starlette: N/A

Built-in Request/Response Handling
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: Yes (Werkzeug-based) | Starlette: N/A

Average Community Response Time (GitHub Issues)
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 24-36 hours | Starlette: N/A

Throughput (Requests per Second)
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: ~4,000 req/s | Starlette: ~8,500 req/s
value reference: Starlette

Concurrency Model
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: Synchronous (WSGI) | Starlette: Asynchronous (ASGI)

Package Size
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: ~2.5 MB | Starlette: ~1.2 MB
value reference: Starlette

Third-Party Extensions
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 800+ | Starlette: ~150
value reference: Flask

Production Deployments (Estimated)
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 2.5M+ | Starlette: ~180K+
value reference: Flask

Throughput (Requests/Second)
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: ~75 (baseline with Gunicorn 4 workers) | Starlette: ~4,500 (with Uvicorn async)
value reference: Starlette

Initial Release Year
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 2010 | Starlette: N/A

Learning Curve Difficulty
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: Easy (1.5/5) | Starlette: N/A

Type Hint Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: Optional | Starlette: N/A

Requests Per Second (Throughput)
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 500-1,000 | Starlette: N/A

Cold Start Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: ~150ms | Starlette: N/A

Memory Usage (Baseline)
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: ~30MB | Starlette: N/A

Available Packages/Modules
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: ~150,000+ PyPI packages | Starlette: N/A

ML/Data Science Library Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: Native: NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch | Starlette: N/A

GitHub Stars (Popularity Proxy)
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: ~67,000 stars | Starlette: N/A

Time to First Hello World
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 4 lines | Starlette: N/A

Deployment Without Extra Server
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: No - requires WSGI server (Gunicorn, uWSGI) | Starlette: N/A

Initial Setup Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 3-5 minutes | Starlette: N/A

GitHub Stars (as of 2026)
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 67,300+ stars | Starlette: N/A

Number of Built-in Features
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 2 core features | Starlette: N/A

Average Project Setup Lines of Code
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 350 lines (with extras) | Starlette: N/A

Third-party Packages Required (typical CRUD)
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 5-8 packages | Starlette: N/A

Deployment Complexity Score
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 6/10 (more decisions) | Starlette: N/A

Performance (Requests/sec, hello world)
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 12,500 req/sec | Starlette: N/A

Job Market Demand (LinkedIn postings 2026)
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 7,200+ jobs | Starlette: N/A

Default Dependencies
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 1 (werkzeug) | Starlette: N/A

Async Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: Requires Flask-APScheduler or manual async setup | Starlette: N/A

Auto Documentation Generation
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: Manual (requires Flask-RESTX, Flasgger) | Starlette: N/A

Time to 'Hello World' App
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 4-5 lines | Starlette: N/A

Time to First Production App
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 2-3 days | Starlette: 5-7 days (requires async knowledge)
value reference: Flask

Available Extensions/Packages
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: ~90,000 Flask-compatible packages | Starlette: ~8,000 Starlette-compatible packages
value reference: Flask

Memory Usage (Idle)
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: ~35-45 MB | Starlette: ~15-25 MB
value reference: Starlette

Latest Stable Release
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 3.0.0 (Dec 2023) | Starlette: 0.35.1 (Jan 2024)

GitHub Stars
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: ~70,000 | Starlette: ~9,500 stars
value reference: Flask

Async/Await Native Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: No (WSGI-based) | Starlette: Yes (ASGI-based)

Startup Memory Usage
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 50-80 | Starlette: N/A

Minimum Learning Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 2-3 | Starlette: N/A

Third-Party Package Ecosystem
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 100,000+ (PyPI) | Starlette: N/A

Response Latency (p99)
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 80-150 | Starlette: N/A

Production Deployment Model
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: Requires external WSGI server | Starlette: N/A

First Release Year
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: 2010 | Starlette: N/A

Average Latency (Hello World)
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: N/A | Starlette: ~78 ms

PyPI Weekly Downloads
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: N/A | Starlette: ~1.2M (Jan 2026)

Python Version Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: N/A | Starlette: 3.6+

Built-in Request Validation
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: N/A | Starlette: No

Auto-generated API Documentation
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: N/A | Starlette: No

Time to Hello World API
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: N/A | Starlette: ~15 minutes

Framework Type
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: N/A | Starlette: Low-level ASGI web framework

Performance - Request Throughput
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: N/A | Starlette: ~18,000-22,000 req/sec

Built-in Validation Framework
type: PropertyValue
value: Flask: N/A | Starlette: None (manual required)

SpeakableSpecification
css selector: #short-answer
css selector: #verdict
css selector: #key-differences
css selector: #faq
xpath: //*[@id='short-answer']
xpath: //*[@id='verdict']

Flask — Wikipedia
type: CreativeWork

Starlette — Wikipedia
type: CreativeWork

Compare Flask vs Starlette
type: Action
additional type: CompareAction
target: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/flask-vs-starlette))
object: Flask
object: Starlette

Type Hint Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Developer Experience

Requests Per Second (Throughput)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Cold Start Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Memory Usage (Baseline)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Available Packages/Modules
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ecosystem

ML/Data Science Library Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ecosystem

GitHub Stars (Popularity Proxy)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Community

Time to First Hello World
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Developer Experience

Deployment Without Extra Server
type: PropertyValue
value reference: DevOps

Initial Setup Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: User Experience

GitHub Stars (as of 2026)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Community Adoption

Number of Built-in Features
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Functionality

Average Project Setup Lines of Code
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Code Complexity

Third-party Packages Required (typical CRUD)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Dependencies

Deployment Complexity Score
type: PropertyValue
value reference: DevOps

Performance (Requests/sec, hello world)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Job Market Demand (LinkedIn postings 2026)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Career Value

Default Dependencies
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Installation

Async Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Architecture

Auto Documentation Generation
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Developer Experience

Time to 'Hello World' App
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Developer Experience

Time to First Production App
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Developer Experience

Available Extensions/Packages
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ecosystem

Memory Usage (Idle)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Resource Efficiency

Latest Stable Release
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Maintenance

GitHub Stars
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Community

Async/Await Native Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Architecture

Startup Memory Usage
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Resource Efficiency

Minimum Learning Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Developer Experience

Third-Party Package Ecosystem
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ecosystem

Response Latency (p99)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Production Deployment Model
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Operations

First Release Year
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Maturity

Average Latency (Hello World)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

PyPI Weekly Downloads
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Adoption

Python Version Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Compatibility

Built-in Request Validation
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Developer Experience

Auto-generated API Documentation
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Time to Hello World API
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Developer Experience

Framework Type
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Architecture

Performance - Request Throughput
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Built-in Validation Framework
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Developer Experience