Anvil is a software development platform that enables users to create full stack web apps with Python. It integrates a cloud based IDE, UI builder, database, visual project management tools, and all the back-end & front-end infrastructure required to create robust applications. Anvil's unique Python-JavaScript bridge makes it possible to accomplish a wide variety of development tasks across a broad scope of application types, quickly and easily.
You can choose between cloud hosted and/or free open source self-hosted implementations.
Anvil cloud accounts feature a browser based IDE with visual drag-and-drop UI builder, visual database table manager, file manager, 1-click project creation/deployment/cloning/sharing, plus point-and-click version management with automated GIT integration
Database with Python ORM is built in (no SQL is required - only Python), or connect to PostgreSQL, MySQL, MSSQL, Oracle, SQLite, MongoDB, Firestore, etc.
No HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or other languages are required for any core UI or server functionality - only Python
Authenticate users with email, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft 1-step sign-in
Publish and consume HTTP REST web APIs with Python
Print any UI layout and/or data display to PDF
Schedule background server functions with a visual editor
Upload/download files and access any server OS/hardware feature available via Python
Google & Microsoft services are integrated: Maps, Docs, Sheets, Files, Images, API calls, etc.
Stripe e-commerce payment processing is integrated (or use any other payment API available in Python or JavaScript)
Incoming and outgoing email services are integrated
Canvas drawing, graphics, and animation features are integrated with Python and/or JS
Multiple chart and graph components are integrated
Drag-and-drop Markdown and HTML display widgets are integrated in the visual layout system (and/or via Python code)
Anvil's unique 'uplink' feature connects directly to Python functions on any IoT hardware, robot, cloud hosted virtual server environment, Jupyter notebook, mobile device, desktop computer, etc. (even MicroPython functions on Pico W microcontroller boards are natively integrated).
*Cross-deploy* Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) between iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, etc.: develop on any OS platform, and deploy instantly to any other platform. You don't need anything but a web browser on any modern desktop or mobile device, to manage the full life cycle of Anvil apps. Absolutely no third party tools or build servers are required. Anvil is lightweight on the client side, so you can work nimbly even on aging PCs and low-powered devices.
Use any Python library on the server (Pandas, Numpy, Matplotlib, Tensorflow, PyTorch, OpenCV, Theano, the standard library, etc.)
Use functions from any CDN JavaScript library on the front-end, natively in Python, and drop in custom HTML templates & CSS/JavaScript code wherever desired
Anvil's Python<->JavaScript bridge enables JS functions to be called in Python, and vice-versa, so JS libraries can be used directly in Python code that runs in the browser.
Anvil is simple and powerful. It makes available all of Python's data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence and connectivity capabilities, within a robust visual web development and deployment tool kit that even users with no experience writing code can implement immediately.
Anvil is suited to creating rich, secure multi-page data management apps, e-commerce apps, hardware control applications, and large web sites with user management features and enterprise scalability requirements. Whereas other Python tools such as Streamlit, NiceGUI, and PyWebIO are intended to produce simple in-house CRUD web apps and data visualizations, Anvil is designed to create intricate public facing business applications, with detailed layout options, security controls, and complex end-to-end system integration features.
Anvil is also a great a fit for quick utilities, internal tools, data dashboards, and personal apps, with productivity and usability characteristics that surpass even the most accessible visual no-code/low-code tools, but without any of the limitations inherent in low-code systems.
Anvil is easier to use and more productive than Django, Flask, and other Python frameworks that require you to write HTML templates. New users can open the Anvil IDE, quickly create and visually lay out a project, and publish their first app with the click of a button.
Experienced developers have access to every feature of the massive Python ecosystem, as well as every feature of the HTML/CSS/JavaScript ecosystem, all unified in one integrated environment that eliminates the vast majority of fatiguing pain points in typical web app development processes, to radically improve productivity.
Web developers can integrate their own front-end HTML, CSS, and JavaScript immediately into the Anvil system, for use by team members who use only Python, or for those who only use Anvil's visual design tools. Data scientists, IoT systems designers, hobbyists, and developers who prefer to use Python tools can choose to work entirely within their familiar py-ecosystem. Designers can use the drag and drop builder to immediately become a productive member of a development team, without any coding skills required.
Anvil provides genuine solutions that dramatically simplify or eliminate the endless complexities inherent in typical web development workflows. The net effect is an environment which enables effortless broad development capability, characterized by a surprising lack of friction, that simply must be experienced to be fully understood.
