Anvil’s Shallow Learning Curve

When evaluating a new dev tool, a common question is “How long will it take to learn?”. Lengthy learning curves cost time, effort, and money - but one of the beauties of Anvil is its shallow learning curve.

I don’t want all the things slowing me down. I don’t want learning curves, I don’t want any of that. I want it quick, and that’s what Anvil gave me.

Shonna Smith

Product Manager, Consultant

Anvil lets you become productive in days, not months. This isn’t just a marketing claim, it’s an experience shared by many Anvil users. Let’s take a look at why Anvil is quick to learn.

Why Is Anvil Easy To Learn?

1. It’s All Python

It’s all Python, and much like Python, the learning curve of Anvil is gentle and shallow.

You don’t need to learn new languages or frameworks for each layer of your web app - saving you time. You can use Python for UI components, front-end code, back-end code and interacting with your database.

# Simple Anvil event handler - just Python
def button_click(self, **event_args):
    # Updating the display text of a label component
    self.output_label.text = f"Hello, {self.name_box.text}!"

2. No Boilerplate Code

Anvil eliminates the need for boiler plate code and setup. The platform wraps common tasks like database access, user authentication, and API endpoints in easy-to-use APIs, letting you focus on what your application does.

Consider how much effort you typically spend on:

  • Setting up projects
  • Configuring build tools
  • Managing deployment pipelines
  • Creating databases and access controls
  • Building secure user authentication
  • Configuring email services and servers
  • Checking software security
  • Developing API endpoints
  • Setting up version control
  • Implementing secrets management
  • Integrating external services
  • Connecting to IoT devices

Anvil simplifies and handles all this and more for you, dramatically saving you time. It has the added benefit of making your app more secure - less code equals fewer opportunities for vulnerabilities.

If data is ever at risk in the journey, we can’t move forward with a solution, full stop… They’ve thought about all of this so that you don’t have to.

Jacque Van Niekerk

Data Scientist, CFC Underwriting

3. Extensive Documentation

Anvil’s documentation and tutorials are extensive. They cover everything from the basics to advanced topics, making it easy to get up to speed.

Try a tutorial
Read the docs

Additionally, we have an extremely active community forum where you can ask questions if you’re stuck, share knowledge, and get help from our team.

4. Traditional Web Architecture

Anvil follows the traditional web architecture approach, with a separation between client and server code. This makes it familiar, easy to understand, and maintain.

For people who aren’t familiar with web architecture, i.e. non-web developers, it’s still useful. The clear separation of concerns makes it easier for you to debug and think about. The underlying principles are also widely understood by other people, meaning they can help even without experience of Anvil.

Learn more about client vs server

A Different Kind of Investment With Real-World Impact

Anvil being quick to learn means:

  • Faster time-to-market for your applications
  • Reduced training costs for your team
  • Lower risk when evaluating the platform
  • Increased productivity rather than delayed returns

And the impact has been felt by many Anvil users:

We wanted a web app urgently during the Covid-19 lockdown. With only intermediate skills in Python, and no knowledge of HTML/CSS/JavaScript/Flask/Django etc, Anvil enabled us to share a Minimum Viable Product in just 7 days.

Peter Fison

Managing Director, South West London TV

Next Steps

Ready to see how shallow Anvil’s learning curve is? Or do you have some questions?

  1. Try Anvil’s intro tutorial
  2. Ask questions on our friendly community forum
  3. Talk to an Anvil engineer to discuss your specific use case

More about Anvil

If you’re new here, welcome! Anvil is a platform for building full-stack web apps with nothing but Python. No need to wrestle with JS, HTML, CSS, Python, SQL and all their frameworks – just build it all in Python.

Sign up for Anvil

Want to build an app of your own? Get started with one of our tutorials:

Data Dashboard

In this tutorial, you will learn to plot data using client-side Python code and deploy it online for others to see.
Go

Build Database-Backed Apps

In this tutorial, you will learn how to build a simple news aggregator app.
Go

Build a Simple Feedback Form

Build a data-entry app, and learn the techniques fundamental to building any Anvil app. In this tutorial, you will:

  • Write server-side Python
  • Build your User Interface
  • Write client-side Python
  • Store data in a database
  • Deploy your app
Go