How Do I Install Python Web Server on Windows?

Installing a Python web server on Windows can be a straightforward process if you follow the right steps. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the installation of a Python web server on your Windows machine. Let’s get started!

Step 1: Download Python

To begin, you need to download and install Python on your Windows computer. Head over to the official Python website at https://www.org/downloads and click on the “Downloads” tab. Choose the latest version of Python for Windows and click on the download link.

Note: Make sure to select the appropriate version (32-bit or 64-bit) based on your system architecture.

Step 2: Run the Installer

Once the download is complete, locate the downloaded file and run the installer. The installer will guide you through the installation process.

Note: Remember to check the box that says “Add Python to PATH” during installation. This will allow you to use Python from any location in your command prompt.

Step 3: Verify Python Installation

To ensure that Python is correctly installed, open a command prompt by pressing Windows Key + R, type “cmd”, and press Enter. In the command prompt, type “python –version” and press Enter.

If you see a version number displayed, it means Python has been successfully installed.

Step 4: Install a Web Server Framework

To create a web server using Python, we need to install a web server framework. One popular choice is Flask, which is lightweight and easy to use.

To install Flask, open the command prompt and type:

pip install flask

Note: If you don’t have pip installed, you can follow the instructions at https://pip.io/en/stable/installing to install it.

Step 5: Create a Simple Web Server

Now that we have Python and Flask installed, let’s create a simple web server to test everything.

Create a new file called “app.py” in your desired directory.
Open “app.py” in a text editor and add the following code:

# Import the Flask module
from flask import Flask

# Create an instance of the Flask class
app = Flask(__name__)

# Define a route and its corresponding function
@app.route('/')
def home():
    return "Hello, World!"

# Run the application on the local development server
if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run()

In this example, our web server will respond with “Hello, World!” when accessed at the root URL (“/”).

Step 6: Start the Web Server

To start the web server, open a command prompt and navigate to the directory where you saved “app.py”. Type the following command:

python app.py

If everything is set up correctly, you should see output similar to:

* Running on http://127.0.1:5000/ (Press CTRL+C to quit)

This means that your web server is running and can be accessed at http://127.1:5000/ in your web browser.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed a Python web server on your Windows machine using Flask. Now you can start building and deploying web applications with Python.

In this tutorial, we covered the steps to:

Download and install Python
Run the installer
Verify the installation
Install a web server framework (Flask)
Create a simple web server
Start the web server

Note: Remember that the example provided is just a starting point, and you can build more complex web applications by extending it with additional routes, views, and functionality.

Happy coding!