In the realm of electronics and IoT projects, having a robust server to interact with your devices is crucial. Flask, a micro web framework for Python, provides an excellent platform for building such servers. When combined with the Raspberry Pi, you can create powerful applications that control hardware and collect data. In this guide, we’ll walk through the process of setting up a Flask server on a Raspberry Pi, catering to beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Prerequisites

Before diving into the tutorial, ensure you have the following:

• A Raspberry Pi set up and running with Raspbian or another compatible operating system.
• Python installed on the Raspberry Pi.
• Basic familiarity with Python programming.

Install Flask

Flask is a lightweight web application framework. Compared to LAMP servers, it can take the place of Apache and PHP in web stack. It is designed to make simple the very first setup and publishing, leaving ability to scale with easy. Being one of the most popular Python web application frameworks, Flask doesn’t require specific dependencies to start your project.

Flask can be easily installed via pip, the Python package manager. Open a terminal on your Raspberry Pi and execute the following command: (for this to work you need to ensure that python is installed on your system first)

pip install Flask

Your Flask Application

Create a Python script for your Flask application. For this example, let’s create a simple “Hello, World!” web server. Open a text editor on your Raspberry Pi and paste the following code:

from flask import Flask

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/')
def hello_world():
    return 'Hello, World!'

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(debug=True, host='0.0.0.0', port=80)

Save this file as app.py in a directory of your choice.

Run Your Flask Application

Navigate to the directory containing your app.py file in the terminal. Execute the following command to start the Flask server

python app.py

You should see output indicating that the server is running.

Access Your Flask Server

Once your Flask server is running, you can access it from a web browser or another device on the same network. Open a web browser and enter the following address:

http://<your_pi_ip_address>:80/

http://192.168.100.8:80

Replace <your_pi_ip_address> with the IP address of your Raspberry Pi. You should see “Hello, World!” displayed in the browser.

Conclusion

You’ve successfully set up a Flask server on your Raspberry Pi. This serves as a foundational step for building more complex IoT applications, such as home automation systems, sensor data monitoring, or remote control projects. With Flask’s flexibility and the Raspberry Pi’s capabilities, the possibilities are endless.