Anvil: A New Standard for Python Web Development?

By Camille D, age 16

Create comprehensive websites simply by dragging and dropping, using Anvil – a Python-based service that takes a multifaceted approach to full-stack web development.  Even with other platforms such as Squarespace and Weebly dominating the ecosystem of drag and drop-based web development, Anvil provides a direct path for users to not only master the art of website creation, but also actively learn the Python language.

Anvil was built by Meredydd Luff and Ian Davies with simplicity and efficiency in mind—using Anvil, all the time it takes to learn the cornucopia of languages typically employed in web development (HTML, CSS, PHP, SQL, etc.) can be eliminated.  Anvil was also designed for users of any level of experience with Python—aspiring developers may learn Python concurrently while using the service.

With its abundance of resources and manuals, Anvil’s teaching algorithm passes all tests.  Anvil’s video tutorials1 each give comprehensive procedures on how to use their features, from their multi-user app capabilities to business analytics.  For those like myself, however, who believe in the worked-example effect, the service also introduces an array of premade templates2 with which users can experiment and learn the ropes of building web features with Python.  An Anvil-specific code documentation3 is also accessible through the main page, pictured below, and is structured with an introduction on using Python for the site and a brief set of instructions for each module, component, and function.

UI design in Anvil both starts and ends in its online IDE, whose facilities streamline the workflow of both front and back-end development.  Among the most convenient features of this IDE is its toolbox from which all the fundamental web components such as links, calendars, and text, are dragged and dropped.