Flask Framework Cookbook

Creating an extension-based REST interface

In the previous recipe, Creating a class-based REST interface, we saw how to create a REST interface using pluggable views. Here, we will use a Flask extension, Flask-Restless, developed completely from the point of view of building REST interfaces. It provides a simple generation of RESTful APIs for database models defined using SQLAlchemy. These generated APIs send and receive messages in the JSON format.

Getting ready

First, we need to install the Flask-Restless extension:

$ pip install Flask-Restless

We will build over our application from the SQL-based searching recipe of Chapter 4, Working with Views, to include a RESTful API interface.

Tip

It is advisable that you read Chapter 4, Working with Views ...