Step-by-Step Tutorial: Creating a RESTful API with Flask and SQLAlchemy

Aaliyah.S
2 min readAug 16, 2023

In this tutorial, I’ll guide you through the process of building a RESTful API using Flask, a Python microframework, and SQLAlchemy, a powerful SQL toolkit. You’ll learn how to create endpoints for performing CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on a database using HTTP methods. Let’s get started!

Photo by Farzad on Unsplash

Prerequisites:

  • Basic knowledge of Python programming.
  • Python and pip installed on your machine.

Step 1: Setup and Installation

  1. Create a new directory for your project and navigate to it in your terminal.
  2. Set up a virtual environment: python3 -m venv venv
  3. Activate the virtual environment: source venv/bin/activate
  4. Install Flask and SQLAlchemy: pip install Flask SQLAlchemy

Step 2: Define Models

  1. Create a file named models.py.
  2. Define your SQLAlchemy model classes for the database entities you want to create.
  3. Use decorators to define fields and relationships within your models.

Step 3: Create Flask App

  1. Create a file named app.py.
  2. Import necessary modules: from flask import

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Aaliyah.S

Just a passionate author, poet, scriptwriter and blogger who wants to change the world with her words. Oh, and a cat lover too!