Lets write a simple, efficient and fast flask-based image server in an afternoon

….that uses lanczos resampling to serve optimized cached photos.

Find this project on GitHub here: jesssullivan/FastPhotoAPI

Interact with this API graphically here (hosted on koyeb via Docker): https://api.birdphoto.website/

Structure:

This application adopts the factory pattern; flask run instantiates the built-in development server by executing create_app() at the root of the app/ package, while python application.py creates a new production application, served by waitress.

git clone https://github.com/Jesssullivan/FastPhotoAPI && cd FastPhotoAPI
python3.12 -m venv fast_photo_venv
source fast_photo_venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Structure:

├── app
├── __init__.py # create and serve development application
└── main
├── config
│ │ └── config.cfg # set directories, max image dimensions, etc
│ ├── fullsize
│ │ └── routes.py # Blueprint routing for serving verbatim image files
│ ├── __init__.py # `create_app()` entrypoint
│ ├── resampled
│ │ ├── model.py # Image resampling methods
│ │ └── routes.py # Blueprint routing for `/image/`
│ └── static
│ └── routes.py # Blueprint routing for `/static/`
├── application.py # create and serve production application w/ waitress
├── cache # resampled images are dynamically generated adn stored here
├── Dockerfile # currently deployed at Koyeb
├── pictures # full res pictures go here
├── README.md # you are here
├── static
│ └── style.css # index styling
└── templates
├── index.html
└── upload.html

Build :

Locally:

_# dev WSGI:_ flask run # 0.0.0.0:5000

# _waitress WSGI:_ flask run # 0.0.0.0:8000

_Production via Docker:_
## build production docker image:
# docker build -t <srv>.

## serve production docker image locally:
docker run -d -p 8000:8000 <srv>:latest

## stop local image:
# docker ps
# docker stop

## push image to a container registery:
# docker push <srv>

Basic Usage: – Fetch a resampled & cached image /image/<yourimage> – Fetch the original, unmodified image /full/<yourimage>