The 5 most-used Python frameworks in 2022

Python is a world-renowned programming language.

Famous for its powerful and easy-to-use features, it is used by web developers in sectors as varied as Finance, Healthcare, ICT, or even Education, by multinationals like Google or Amazon.

Launched in 1992, Python is today used by more than 15 million developers worldwide. In 2022, it was the second most-used programming language in the world after JavaScript with 15.42% market share.

In recent years, the number of roles open for Python developers has grown considerably. There are currently more than 10,000 job openings worldwide on Glassdoor for Python-related roles, and Indeed counts about 14,000. That's twice as many as for Java-related roles.

Most Python users are between 21 and 29 years old, and they can hope to earn up to $118,000 a year!

To accelerate Python adoption and make it easier to use, many "frameworks" have been developed. They provide structure to Python and let developers focus on writing and running programs rather than on routine details.

In this article, we propose to explore the 5 most-used Python frameworks in 2022 so you can pick the one that best fits your needs.

Key takeaways

• Python is a powerful language for developing and administering complex computer systems.
• Frameworks facilitate development processes and remove protocol details to give developers better productivity and output.
• The 5 frameworks we chose to present are Django, Flask, Pyramid, Bottle, and Tornado. They differ in how they work and how developers use them.

What is Python used for?

Python is a powerful and versatile computer language used in web development (creating and administering sites, software, or applications), but also in domains as advanced as data science, artificial intelligence, or machine learning.

According to a Stack Overflow study, 41% of programmers have made Python their language of choice, cementing it as an essential programming tool on the world stage.

What is a Python framework, and why use one?

Very simply, a framework is a set of various features that facilitates development and programming.

Frameworks let you automate the implementation of computer solutions, reduce development time, and handle common slag and defects.

They therefore provide structure to Python and let you orient it according to the developer's needs.

A "Python" framework is distinguished from a classic framework in that it has been designed specifically to be used with Python and not with another language like Java, for example.

Python frameworks therefore work a bit like databases for developers. They are reliable resources that let them broaden their horizons while ensuring speed of execution and ease of use.

How many frameworks are there?

There are about fifteen Python frameworks, even if the vast majority of developers focus on the use of two: Django and Flask, which we'll detail later in this article.

Quickly, here's a non-exhaustive list of Python frameworks:

- Django

- Flask

- Pyramid

- Bottle

- Tornado

- BlueBream

- CherryPy

- Dash

- CubicWeb

- Groc

- Growler

- Sanic

- FastAPI

Even though they have different features, they all let you rely on a generic base, in order to save developers from starting from scratch and having to build everything themselves.

How to choose a framework?

To determine which framework would suit you best, it's important to set yourself a number of criteria and ask yourself the right questions.

Indeed, choosing a framework is done not only based on the features it offers, but also on its ease of use or its deployment speed, for example.

In any case, you'll need to know in advance what kind of project you want to undertake. The choice of framework actually depends very heavily on the size, scope, and also the complexity of the project you want to deliver.

In the following paragraphs, we present a panel of 5 frameworks most used in 2022 that together cover a wide range of features, ways of working, and therefore different applications.

You'll then be able to make an informed choice and deliver your project as efficiently as possible!

The 5 most-used frameworks in 2022

Django

Django is one of the major references in Python frameworks. According to the Python Developers Survey 2020, Django is the second most popular Python framework in the world. It's a free, extremely versatile framework that lets developers create complex, very high-quality systems.

Used by companies like Amazon, Instagram, Pinterest, or Mozilla, Django is appreciated for its versatility and its great deployment speed. What's more, its large number of features lets developers limit their coding time and reuse already-written code.

Finally, Django is very well secured, which makes it a reliable framework, perfect for large-scale projects.

To sum up, Django is fast, performant, and safe; no surprise it appears first in our list!

Flask

Flask is a micro-framework available under BSD license. Flask was thought of as a tool to give developers a solid web base they could enrich at will.

As flexible as it is versatile, Flask's design also makes it practical for projects of large or small size.

Its adaptability has made it Django's main rival, to such an extent that it's common to use Flask by default whenever Django doesn't fit the bill.

In addition to its eclecticism, Flask is very easy to understand and use. It's also compatible with "Google App Engine", which makes it an extremely practical framework.

Flask is used by companies like AirBnb, Reddit, or Netflix, who appreciate Flask's modular character, which adapts to the needs of their developers.

Pyramid

Pyramid is an open-source web development framework. It's the most recognized framework among Python experts, who see in it the greatest flexibility and testability on the market.

Like Flask, Pyramid enjoys a modular architecture, making it suited to projects of all sizes. However, Pyramid stands out from its competitor through its community support system.

Pyramid's minimalist approach is also very central to the framework's philosophy. It's this approach that makes Pyramid dynamic and facilitates its applicability at larger scale.

Pyramid is used by companies like Thinkr, Kallibr, and Dropbox. It's a framework slightly less easy to use than its competitors, but its scalable nature makes it very appealing to developers. They form a community of nearly 3,000 participants.

Bottle

Fast, simple, and lightweight: that's Bottle in a nutshell. This micro-framework originally created for API construction (application programming interface) is fast and very easy to use.

One of Bottle's major advantages is that it lets you work closely with the entire hardware part, which makes it a tool of choice for learning prototyping or to better grasp how Python frameworks work in general.

Many companies leverage Bottle's remarkable deployment speed to build mobile applications, for example. Notably, Payasa Data and Sotong Kitchen use Bottle predominantly.

Tornado

Tornado is an open-source micro-framework created by FriendFeed and acquired by Facebook in 2009. Capable of supporting more than 10,000 simultaneous connections, Tornado is mainly used to handle I/O operations.

Known for its high performance, Tornado produces high-quality results. Tornado also enjoys real-time services that allow greater assistance and optimal security.

Like Bottle, Tornado only has the features essential to it, which makes this framework a bit less versatile than its competitors.

However, its user authentication service and its ability to handle asynchronous networks make it a framework you can't use everywhere — quite specialized but still of very high quality.