Elena' s AI Blog

Python Flask TODO App

11 Feb 2025 (updated: 24 Aug 2026) / 29 minutes to read

Elena Daehnhardt


Midjourney 6.1: A pixel art style representation of a simple TODO app


TL;DR:
  • Build a complete Flask TODO app from scratch: map URLs to Python functions with Flask routes, store your tasks persistently in an SQLite database, and build the user interface with Jinja2 templates and HTML forms.

Previous: Part 5 β€” Python Virtual Environments

Next: Part 7 β€” Anaconda Environments

Introduction: Building a Python Flask TODO App

Flask is a lightweight Python web framework that maps URLs to Python functions and renders HTML templates. Python is famous for being able to build almost anything, and web applications are no exception. When it comes to web development in Python, my absolute favorite starting point is the Flask framework. It is incredibly lightweight and stays out of your way, especially compared to larger, more opinionated frameworks like Django.

In this post, we are going to build a classic TODO web application from scratch. We will use Python, Flask for the web routing, and SQLite for persistent data storage.

If you think Flask is just a β€œtoy” framework for beginners, think again. Did you know that Reddit uses Flask as a core part of its infrastructure? It is highly scalable when you need it to be. Let’s get started.

Prerequisites: Python 3, an Editor, and pip

πŸ”’ Subscribe to keep reading.

Setting Up a Python Virtual Environment for Flask

πŸ”’ Subscribe to keep reading.

Installing Flask with pip

πŸ”’ Subscribe to keep reading.

Creating the Flask TODO App

πŸ”’ Subscribe to keep reading.

Conclusion

πŸ”’ Subscribe to keep reading.

References

πŸ”’ Subscribe to keep reading.

Subscribe to unlock the full article ❀️

I keep most of the site completely open. A few unusually detailed tutorials need a free subscriber login so I can keep publishing this kind of work.

The form below signs you up for the newsletter. It does not log you into the app β€” log in afterwards (same email) to unlock this article and download your subscriber gifts. New subscribers get an inbox mail: Set a password to unlock articles.

desktop bg dark

About Elena

Elena, a PhD in Computer Science, simplifies AI concepts and helps you use machine learning.

Citation
Elena Daehnhardt. (2025) 'Python Flask TODO App', daehnhardt.com, 11 February 2025. Available at: https://daehnhardt.com/blog/2025/02/11/todo-flask-app/
All Posts