Flask Extensions Recommended: Flask-SQLAlchemy and User Authentication

This article introduces the necessity of Flask extensions and the use of core extensions. Flask itself is lightweight, and complex requirements require implementation through extensions. The article focuses on explaining two key extensions: Flask-SQLAlchemy: Integrates SQLAlchemy, allowing database operations through Python objects without writing SQL directly. After installation, configure the database URI, define models (such as the User class), and support table creation (db.create_all()), as well as CRUD operations (add, commit, query, etc.). Flask-Login: Handles user authentication and session management. Configure LoginManager and use Werkzeug for password hashing storage. Implement login (login_user) and logout (logout_user) functions, and protect routes with the @login_required decorator. The combination of these two extensions enables rapid construction of web applications with database and user systems. Beginners can get started by mastering basic configurations and core APIs (such as create_all and login_user). For production environments, security measures such as HTTPS and CSRF protection should be added.