CherryPy Essentials: Rapid Python Web Application Development: Design, develop, test, and deploy your Python web applications easily (Paperback)

~ Sylvain Hellegouarch (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Design, develop, test, and deploy your Python web applications easily

• Walks through building a complete Python web application using CherryPy 3
  
• The CherryPy HTTP:Python interface
• Use CherryPy with other Python libraries
• Design, security, testing, and deployment

In Detail

CherryPy is a Python library for web development that allows developers to build web applications in the same way as any other object-oriented Python program. Enriched by several years of active development, it has become one of the most established toolkits for building solid and high-performance web applications in Python. CherryPy abstracts the complex low-level HTTP protocol into an easy-to-use interface that respects Python idioms. The library aims at being simple to learn for a beginner while offering the most advanced features to fluent Python developers. For these reasons CherryPy was chosen to be at the heart of the popular and feature-rich TurboGears web framework. CherryPy-powered web applications are stand-alone Python applications with their own embedded multi-threaded web server, but can also run behind Apache or IIS for scalability.

What you will learn from this book?

• The book will be about CherryPy 3
• CherryPy installation using the tarball, egg, and subversion
• The CherryPy library in depth: its design and how to use it
• Using CherryPy with common Python and non-Python products
• Object Relational Mapping with SQLObject, SQLAlchemy, and Dejavu
• Web Services via REST and the Atom Publishing Protocol
• AJAX and client-side scripting via MochiKit
• Unit, functional, and load testing
• CherryPy, Apache, and lighttpd deployment solutions

Approach

The book starts with two chapters dedicated to CherryPy, its history and installation. It then moves through a gentle introduction to the main features and concepts of CherryPy to a thorough review of its core capabilities. After laying this foundation the book dives into a real-world example, detailing important steps in the creation of a photoblog application. These chapters cover database manipulation via Object Relational Mapping (ORM), using web services to enhance the application, and client-side scripting through AJAX. Finally, the book covers the need for unit, functional, and performance testing before closing with deployment solutions for a CherryPy-based application.

Who this book is written for?

This book is principally geared towards Python web developers, who are looking to add the power of the CherryPy library to their existing Python skillset. It assumes a good working knowledge of Python. Although the CherryPy toolkit is at the core of the book, many other common libraries are introduced

About the Author

Sylvain Hellegouarch

Sylvain Hellegouarch is an IT Software Consultant dedicated to the development of free software projects such as CherryPy. Since 2004 he has been coordinating and administrating the community efforts around the project providing support for newcomers and seasoned developers, alike. In 2006 he developed 'bridge' and 'amplee', two Python-based projects centered on XML and the upcoming Atom Publishing Protocol respectively. He has also been deeply involved in The Viberavetions Project, a comprehensive grassroots solution for independent artists and musicians to better connect with consumers, as well as the nuXleus project, a platform designed for faster, more reliable inter and intra application and personal communication. Born in France, Sylvain graduated with a degree in Computer Science from South Brittany University, Vannes, France in 2002. Since then he has been working as an IT consultant for a variety of companies, both small and large. He currently resides in the United Kingdom.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Packt Publishing (March 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904811841
• ISBN-13: 978-1904811848
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #770,420 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Read the sample chapter on the web before buying, August 20, 2007

By	Mitch Haile (San Jose, CA and Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

I use CherryPy and had been on the fence about this book. A book about CherryPy would be a great resource for me, and I want to support the CherryPy folks.

There's a sample chapter on the web. Based on that chapter, I will not order the book--The book needed to have a better editor. The text is verbose; they could have cut 50-60% of the words and not lost any meaning. Also, based on the Table of Contents, the book spends at least 50% of its content on things that are not directly CheeryPy, just related to CherryPy.

The sample chapter does not reflect a book that is highly technical and geared towards highly technical people; if you're pretty savvy with the concept of Web frameworks, this book isn't going to add much to your library.

I'm sorry to say that most people should stick with the online docs for now.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars wide breadth, shallow depth, December 10, 2007

By	Chris G. Sebastian (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is not a CherryPy reference manual; It is a broad introduction to a myriad of topics, intended for new web developers.

There are only two chapters (chapter 3 & 4, a total of 50 pages) that really discuss the CherryPy core itself. All other chapters cover topics that somehow relate to CherryPy (for example: template engines, SSL, REST, ORM, integrating CherryPy and Apache).

If there is one thing that this book is good for, it is for giving you a broad view of how CherryPy can be used. Even though I have been using CherryPy for a few years, there were many things I never knew CherryPy came included with (Template support, for example). Because I did not know this, I had re-invented many of those features myself for my websites -- I wish I had known that they were already there! This book does a good job of giving you the "big picture" view so that you do not unnecessarily re-invent any more wheels than you need to.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great CherryPy Resource!, January 10, 2009

By	Willie Pritchett "Willie Pritchett" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

CherryPy Essentials guides you through learning CherryPy from beginning to end. The first three chapters of the book offer the basics of working with CherryPy (from inception, to install, to basic usage). A nice plus, which I think more books should do, occurs at the beginning of Chapter 3 where a functional web application is presented. Although short and to the point, the application does give a since of what is possible with CherryPy in a "Rapid" development perspective.

Another good point about the book is that it does give a wide overview of what is "possible" with CherryPy from Templating, to Web Services, and even Testing.

The book is well organized and can serve as a an excellent resource for anyone looking to give CherryPy a look for their web development projects.

PROS

* Well laid out and easy to follow
* Explains an assortment of useful tools for CherryPy
* Helps to get started quickly with the framework
* Includes excellent online resource

CONS

* Would like to have seen either a Web 2.0 application to be built or an enterprise level application built (even though a Photo album was presented for much of the second half of the book)
* Doesnt focus on a lot of the internals of CherryPy

OVERALL

Overall, this is one of the best books I have ever read. Very easy to get through. If you are new to CherryPy or web application development, this book is an excellent choice.