Django is a full-featured, batteries-included framework with built-in ORM, admin panel, and authentication, while Flask is a lightweight microframework that requires manual integration of third-party libraries. Django suits large, complex projects; Flask excels for simple applications and APIs.
Django vs Flask — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Choose Django if you're building medium-to-large web applications, need rapid development with built-in features, and prefer convention-over-configuration. Choose Flask if you're creating microservices, simple APIs, lightweight applications, or need maximum flexibility and control over your architecture.
Python web framework emphasizing rapid development, clean code, and batteries-included features with built-in admin.
Lightweight Python web microframework for building web applications with minimal overhead.
Community Size (Stack Overflow questions)
Structured comparison data for Django vs Flask with 154 attributes.
Development Speed (Median Project Timeline)
Request Throughput (req/sec, hello-world)
Average Community Response Time (GitHub Issues)
Third-party Packages Required (typical CRUD)
Job Market Demand (LinkedIn postings 2026)
Django vs Flask — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Django vs Flask.
Which framework is better for beginners?
Flask is better for absolute beginners due to its smaller scope and simpler learning curve (8-15 hours vs 40-60 hours). However, if you're willing to invest time upfront, Django's guided structure actually accelerates learning for building complete applications.
Yes. Django REST Framework (DRF) is a powerful, production-ready toolkit for building REST APIs with Django. It adds serializers, viewsets, and permissions. However, Flask is often considered more natural for APIs due to its minimalism.
Is Flask suitable for large-scale applications?
Flask can scale, but Django is better suited structurally. Large Flask apps require careful architecture planning and significant custom tooling that Django provides by default. Pinterest and Dropbox use Flask at scale, but they invested heavily in custom infrastructure.
How do database migrations work in each?
Django has built-in migration system (django-admin makemigrations/migrate) that automatically tracks schema changes. Flask doesn't include migrations—you typically use Alembic with SQLAlchemy, which requires more manual setup but offers greater control.
Django has more comprehensive official documentation (800+ pages) with detailed guides. Flask documentation is concise but sometimes requires consulting community resources. Both are excellent, but Django wins for step-by-step tutorials.