Jacob Coffee, Janek Nouvertné, and Cody Fincher, the maintainers of Litestar, discuss the potential of the new web framework, its performance benchmarks compared to Fast API, data validation using type annotations, the flexibility of middleware configurations, and useful packages like DB and rich-click. They also highlight the benefits of using Message Spec for JSON parsing and serialization.
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Quick takeaways
Litestar prioritizes ease of use and reduces the need for manual optimization compared to other micro-frameworks like Flask or FastAPI.
Litestar seamlessly integrates with SQL Alchemy, allowing easy switching of databases without major code changes.
Lightstar offers robust support for WebSockets, plugin-based architecture for customization, and a range of middleware options to enhance web applications.
Deep dives
Introduction to LIGHTSTAR
LIGHTSTAR is a new web framework gaining traction, focused on building APIs effortlessly. It aims to eliminate boilerplate code for developers by handling authorization, caching, and ORM integration. Unlike other micro-frameworks like Flask or FastAPI, LIGHTSTAR prioritizes ease of use and reduces the need for manual optimization.
Efficient ORM Integration
LIGHTSTAR offers seamless integration with SQL Alchemy, providing support for various model types, such as pedantic, SQL Alchemy, message spec data classes, and more. One standout feature is the ability to automatically select the best data type for different database engines, like PostgreSQL or Oracle. This makes it convenient to switch databases without major code changes.
WebSockets and Middleware
LIGHTSTAR includes robust support for WebSockets, allowing bidirectional communication between the server and client. Its plugin-based architecture enables customization and integration with other libraries like Pydantic. The framework also offers a range of middleware options, including compression, authentication, logging, and CORS handling, providing developers with essential tools to enhance their web applications.
DTOs and Data Validation
Lightstar version 2 introduces the use of Data Transfer Objects (DTOs) for data validation and parsing. DTOs allow you to define how your data should be transformed on the way in or out, validating it against a specified schema. Lightstar supports various data modeling libraries for validation, such as PyDantic, MessageSpec, Adirs, plain data classes, and type-dicts. This feature was inspired by FastAPI and enables developers to build APIs based on type-hinting easily and efficiently.
Deployment and Performance
Lightstar offers flexibility in deployment options. While Gunicorn with a UVicorn worker is a common choice, UVicorn alone can be faster in certain environments, such as Docker or Kubernetes. Other ASGI servers like Daphne and Hypercorn are also compatible with Lightstar. Additionally, there is support for server-sent events and an integration called 'Channels' for distributed messaging. Lightstar version 2 has undergone substantial improvements and additions in all areas, making it a powerful ASGI framework with impressive speed and a growing community of contributors.