Python Paste

2010-06-02T08:36:34Z

74.125.57.36: /* WSGI middleware */ correct grammar

{{essay-like|date=February 2010}}
{{Infobox Software
| name = Paste
| logo = ?
| released = {{start date|2005|?}}
| latest release version = 1.7.2
| latest release date = ?
| genre = [[Web application framework]]
| license = [[MIT License]]
| programming language = [[Python (programming language)|Python]]
| operating system = [[Cross-platform]]
| developer = Ian Bicking
| website = http://www.pythonpaste.org/
}}
'''Python Paste''', often simply called '''paste''', is a set of [[utility software|utilities]] for [[web development]] in [[Python (programming language)|Python]]. Paste has been described as "a framework for [[web framework]]s"<ref>http://reddit.com/r/programming/info/ehyf/comments/ceifh</ref>.

== WSGI middleware ==

To understand the function of paste it is first necessary to understand WSGI middleware.

The [[Web Server Gateway Interface|WSGI]] standard is an interface that allows applications to use Python code to handle HTTP requests. A '''WSGI application''' is passed a Python representation of an HTTP request by an application, and returns content which will normally eventually be rendered by a web browser. A common use for this is when a [[web server]] serves content created by Python code.

There are, however, other uses: '''WSGI middleware''' is Python code that receives a WSGI request and then performs logic based upon this request, before passing the request on to a WSGI application or more WSGI middleware. WSGI middleware appears to an application as a server, and to the server as an application. This is analogous to the function of [[Pipeline_(Unix)|pipes on Unix systems]]. Functionality provided by WSGI middleware may include authentication, logging, [[url redirection]], creation of [[sessions]], and compression.

== Python paste ==

The Python Paste package mainly provides Python modules to act as middleware.
In addition to middleware, it provides a simple Python webserver that can produce WSGI request and a wrapper used to pass WSGI requests to [[Common Gateway Interface|CGI]] applications. Paste may be understood as a set of libraries making use of the WSGI standard to provide functionality other than the direct creation of content. This is useful when one is deploying applications written in a Python [[web_application_framework|web framework]].

== Uses of Paste ==

Paste is a component used in the [[Pylons (web framework)|Pylons]] web application framework. Paste has been a long-running open source project, dating from at least 2005. It has grown and has unbundled numerous other utilities from the Paste core. These utilities are part of the Paste project, but form their own packages and have their own version numbers. WebOb is a wrapper around the WSGI environment. Paste Deploy is a system for finding and configuring WSGI applications and servers. Paste Script, WebTest, ScriptType, INITools, Tempita, WaitForIt, WPHP, WSGIFilter, and WSGIProxy are other notable bundles.

== See Also ==
* [[TurboGears]]
* [[Pylons]]
* [[Seaside_(software)|Smalltalk Seaside]]
* [[Java Servlet]]
* [[ISAPI]]
* [[FastCGI]]
* [[Thrift_(protocol)|Apache Thrift]] (from Facebook and Evernote teams)
* [[Server-side JavaScript]]
* [[PHP]]
* [[Web application framework]]

== References ==
<references/>

== External links ==
* [http://pythonpaste.org Python Paste]: official site
* [http://www.ianbicking.org Ian Bicking] page
* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-872784530622495809 Ben Bangert's Google Tech Talk], Sep 13, 2006
* [http://pycon.blogspot.com/2009/03/pycon-2009-videos.html Ian Bicking's Topics of Interest, 4:30-9:30], PyCon 2009

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[[Category:Python web application frameworks]]

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Python Paste