[svlug] Building simple web based sysadmin tools

[Ivan Sergio Borgonovo]

On 07/20/2017 04:04 AM, Steve Litt wrote:
> On Thu, 20 Jul 2017 01:36:14 +0200
> Ivan Sergio Borgonovo <mail at webthatworks.it> wrote:
> 
> 
>>> Very welcome to suggestions and ideas. I'm pretty sure I could make
>>> something in Python and Flask but since the requirements are so
>>> simple, this might be overkill for the task.
>>
>> I've used flask for small tools. Give a look to bottle if you're
>> looking for something really minimal.
> 
> I'm looking for a quickie way to write simple web apps. From context, I
> get the idea that you like Flask. Is that true?

> Have you ever used Bottle, and if so, how did you like it?

I preferred flask over bottle because I knew I needed more functionality 
and more "order". I didn't like the idea of a single file.
Still collogues are proficiently using bottle for small "on demand" web 
services.

> I noticed you didn't mention Django. Is that because it's overkill for
> a quick web app?

Django is too much of a framework that constrain you to its paradigm.
It is considerably "lighter" than many, but not as much as I needed when 
I looked into web python stuff.

Django is definitively overkill for what Robert need.

> Troubleshooters.Com is on one of those shared hosting things, and I
> doubt either flask or bottle is installed on their server. Is there a
> way I can install either one as my own user? I have ssh and sftp rights
> to my home directory and web directories.

Download it and "install" it as you would do with any other python code 
on your web server. Details may vary. I'm not a sysadmin but I had fcgi 
hanging around for php on my home server and:

http://flask.pocoo.org/docs/0.12/deploying/fastcgi/

so... http://flask.pocoo.org/docs/0.12/deploying/ chose your poison.

> By the way, I like Python, so Flask and bottle wouldn't force me to use
> a language I don't like.

> Thanks. This morning I was contemplating using Django for my Symptom
> Desription Wizard, and just couldn't get excited about such a bunch of
> scaffolding.

If you're planning to build up a CMS like website go for Django.

In my past life I was a web programmer, I already set up whole CMS from 
scratch and I've used pre-packaged CMS.
I didn't need a python CMS but I knew I would be able to build one from 
flask and I didn't have any schedule.

-- 
Ivan Sergio Borgonovo
http://www.webthatworks.it http://www.borgonovo.net