Python VS PHP, Differences?

Question

I'm already proficient in PHP and Javascript, but for a project a client is insisting that it be done in Python instead. Its a good opportunity, so I've agreed to learn Python.

My questions are:

• How easy/hard will it be to build AJAX powered web applications in Python compared to PHP
• what are the main differences in the two languages?
• Any good resources for learning web development in Python?

All other information will of course be helpful as well.

Answer 1

For web development I recommend using Django which is a Python Web framework

Answer 2

This article on Python (and Django) for PHP developers should answer your questions.

Answer 3

Here is a good comparative of both languages:

• Python vs. PHP

I like it because the comparison is more based on core language features than web frameworks.

Answer 4

Learn how to build WSGI applications. Your client will be disappointed if you build it using just pure CGI. Here is an example WSGI app:

#!/usr/bin/python
# An example Python WSGI application
#
from wsgiref.simple_server import WSGIServer, WSGIRequestHandler

def example_app(environ, start_response):
    # Environment variables are in `environ`
    # `start_response` is a function for passing the status and headers

    headers = []
    headers.append(("Content-type", "text/html"))
    start_response("200 OK", headers)

    return ["This is some data. The app must return an iterable like a list."]

httpd = WSGIServer(('', 8080), WSGIRequestHandler)
httpd.set_app(example_app)
httpd.serve_forever()

The benefit of WSGI being that it doesn't need to spawn another Python process for each request like CGI does.

---

According to the WSGI wiki,

WSGI is the Web Server Gateway Interface. It is a specification for web servers and application servers to communicate with web applications (though it can also be used for more than that). It is a Python standard, described in detail in PEP 333.

For more information, consult PEP-333.

Answer 5

As has already been mentioned, Django is certainly a popular choice for quick-and-easy MVC Python web apps. Other popular frameworks include:

• Turbogears
• Pylons

Wikipedia also has a handy web framework comparison chart which includes Python web frameworks.

One thing that some people dislike about Turbogears, Django and the other higher level frameworks is that they encourage the use of specific associated technologies, such as one specific DB (MySQL or Postgres usually), one specific presentation template library (Kid / Cheetah etc.), or one Javascript library (usually MochiKit - but that is a good thing IMHO because it is designed to be "Pythonic" so it is usually the natural choice for Python web apps).

Personally I like CherryPy. It gives "just what you need" to web-enable Python scripts, like browser-based HTTP URL handling (mapping to functions / classes etc.), and even comes with an embedded web server (you can also plug it into the likes of mod_python, IIS or pretty much any other popular web server). You can then go ahead and use any other Python technologies around that which you desire, in any combination. Of course the usual case of extra flexibility giving you extra opportunity to give yourself future hassles applies here.

Answer 6

I'd throw in Beginning Python into the mix as far as learning Python itself. Many other resources online, but if you need an out right start in the language.

Answer 7

Dive Into Python is an excellent introduction suitable for programmers already familiar with other languages.

One of the important differences that might trip you up at first is that Python is strongly typed. This means that integers and strings are distinctly different, and there are no automatic conversions between the two. The str() and int() functions may become helpful (but remember that int() may throw an exception if you give it something that doesn't look like an integer!).

Answer 8

To learn the language, i would suggest to start with the book "A byte of Python" and later on "Dive into Python" as some one above has already suggested you. Well! i use Django framework to develop web application. It's really cool and fast too.

Answer 9

Since Django was recommended here, I feel the need to also mention Zope.

Answer 10

Things to watch out for

• In python, everything in the same scope goes into the same namespace (variables, functions, classes), so it's possible to wipe out a class by creating a function of the same name within the same module.

• In python, lists and dictionaries (the equivalent of PHP's arrays) are copied by reference. Make sure you copy them manually or you will be modifying the original.

• The Python documentation is not as easy to navigate as PHP's manual.