WSGI
Web Server Gateway Interface
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
WSGI is the OG standard for Python web apps talking to web servers. It's been around since 2003 and it's how Django and Flask work under the hood. It's synchronous and simple — one request comes in, one response goes out. No fancy async stuff here.
Real Talk
WSGI is the Python standard (PEP 3333) defining how web servers communicate with web applications. It provides a simple, synchronous callable interface where a server calls an application with an environment dict and a start_response callback. It's the foundation for Django, Flask, and most traditional Python web frameworks.
When You'll Hear This
"Django uses WSGI by default, which is fine for most request-response workloads." / "If you need WebSockets, you'll need to switch from WSGI to ASGI."
Related Terms
ASGI (Asynchronous Server Gateway Interface)
ASGI is WSGI's younger, cooler sibling that can handle async stuff.
Django
Django is the 'batteries included' Python web framework. It comes with an ORM, admin panel, auth system, form handling, and more — all built in.
Flask
Flask is the lightweight Python web framework — the 'just enough' option. It doesn't come with an ORM, admin panel, or auth system by default.
Gunicorn
Gunicorn (Green Unicorn) is the battle-tested Python HTTP server that's been running production apps since forever.