Playgrounds and Cafes for Python Apps

First published on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/playgrounds-cafes-python-apps-shantala-mukherjee-cfa-caia-zjjgc

---

Thanks to the Pyodide distribution, the number of browser-based options for Python coding and app development keeps growing.

The following tools make it easier than ever to just start typing your Python code and build your app. No need to register or log in!

Stlite

https://edit.share.stlite.net/

Created by Yuichiro Tachibana👨💻, Stlite makes it a breeze to develop your Streamlit app and share it with everyone!

I've mentioned Stlite before in my post 'Is This the Easiest Way to Build Your Streamlit App?', where you'll find a step-by-step guide to use it.

You can upload Python scripts and data files and add the required Python libraries in a 'requirements.txt' file.

Gradio Playground

https://www.gradio.app/playground

Gradio Playground is best suited for coding simple Gradio apps.

Please note that there is no option to upload files, or 'requirements.txt', but you can share your app via a link.

WASM Dash

https://wasmdash.vercel.app/

This is a good place to practice coding simple Plotly Dash apps. There are a few examples to get you started.

Note that there is no option to upload files, or 'requirements.txt', but you can try to install libraries via micropip, as shown in the examples. I also did not see any obvious way to share your app with others.

Shiny Live

https://shinylive.io/py/examples/

Shiny for Python is another cool app framework from Posit PBC, and you can use this website to develop your app in the browser. There are a few examples to get you started.

You can upload Python scripts and data files, add the required Python libraries in a 'requirements.txt' file, and also generate a link to share your app.

PY.CAFE

https://py.cafe/

This project was announced a couple of months ago by Maarten Breddels, co-founder of Widgetti BV, who created the Python app framework Solara. It is a really neat place to code and share apps in Solara, Streamlit, Dash, and Vizro (for dashboards). They may extend it to other app frameworks like Panel, Gradio, and Shiny for Python in the future if there is enough demand.

You can upload Python scripts and data files and add the required Python libraries in a 'requirements.txt' file.

You also have the option to create a free account to save your work in progress.