165 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
165 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
### **Jinja2-Powered Web Dev: Libraries & Frameworks to Consider**
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Since Jinja2 is a templating engine (not a full frontend framework like React), you’ll typically pair it with backend tools or lightweight frontend libraries. Here’s a **curated list** of tools that leverage Jinja2 for dynamic HTML generation, sorted by use case:
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---
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## **1. Backend-First (Server-Side Rendering)**
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### **A. Flask (Python)**
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- **Why?** The gold standard for Jinja2 web apps.
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- **Best for**: Internal dashboards, network config UIs.
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- **Example**:
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```python
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from flask import Flask, render_template
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app = Flask(__name__)
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@app.route("/device/<name>")
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def device_page(name):
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return render_template("device.html", device=get_device_from_yaml(name))
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```
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- **Key Feature**:
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- Auto-reload during development (`debug=True`).
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- Extensible with Flask extensions (e.g., `flask-login` for auth).
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### **B. Django (Python)**
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- **Why?** Built-in Jinja2 support (though Django Templates are more common).
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- **Best for**: Larger apps with ORM (e.g., NetBox-like systems).
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- **Enable Jinja2**:
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```python
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# settings.py
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TEMPLATES = [{
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'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.jinja2.Jinja2',
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'DIRS': ['templates/jinja2'],
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}]
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```
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### **C. FastAPI (Python) + Jinja2**
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- **Why?** Modern async backend with Jinja2 for templating.
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- **Best for**: APIs that also serve HTML (e.g., network automation portals).
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- **Setup**:
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```python
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from fastapi import FastAPI, Request
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from fastapi.templating import Jinja2Templates
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app = FastAPI()
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templates = Jinja2Templates(directory="templates")
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@app.get("/device/{name}")
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async def read_device(request: Request, name: str):
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return templates.TemplateResponse("device.html", {"request": request, "device": get_device(name)})
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```
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---
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## **2. Frontend-Friendly (Progressive Enhancement)**
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### **A. HTMX + Jinja2**
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- **Why?** Add dynamic behavior (AJAX, DOM updates) without JavaScript.
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- **Best for**: Interactive network dashboards.
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- **Example**:
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```html
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<!-- templates/device.html -->
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<button hx-get="/reboot/{{ device.name }}" hx-target="#status">
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Reboot Device
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</button>
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<div id="status">{{ device.status }}</div>
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```
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- **Key Feature**:
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- Works with Jinja2’s server-side rendering.
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- No React/Vue complexity.
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### **B. Alpine.js + Jinja2**
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- **Why?** Lightweight reactivity for Jinja2-generated HTML.
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- **Best for**: Toggleable UIs (e.g., network topology explorers).
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- **Example**:
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```html
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<div x-data="{ showDetails: false }">
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<button @click="showDetails = !showDetails">Toggle Details</button>
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<div x-show="showDetails">
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{{ device.config | safe }}
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</div>
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</div>
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```
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### **C. Shoelace (Web Components) + Jinja2**
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- **Why?** Pre-built UI components (modals, tabs) for Jinja2 apps.
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- **Best for**: Professional-looking internal tools.
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- **Example**:
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```html
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<sl-tab-group>
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{% for tab in tabs %}
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<sl-tab slot="nav" panel="{{ tab.id }}">{{ tab.name }}</sl-tab>
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{% endfor %}
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</sl-tab-group>
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```
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---
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## **3. Static Site Generators (SSG)**
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### **A. MkDocs + Jinja2**
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- **Why?** Docs with dynamic content (e.g., auto-generated network diagrams).
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- **Best for**: Network documentation portals.
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- **Example**:
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```markdown
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## Device Status
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{% for device in devices %}
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- {{ device.name }}: {{ device.status }}
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{% endfor %}
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```
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### **B. Pelican (Python SSG)**
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- **Why?** Jinja2-powered static sites (blogs, docs).
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- **Best for**: Publishing network design docs.
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---
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## **4. Specialized Tools**
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### **A. Ansible + Jinja2 for Web Reports**
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- **Why?** Generate HTML reports from playbook results.
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- **Example**:
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```yaml
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- name: Generate HTML report
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template:
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src: templates/report.html.j2
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dest: /var/www/html/report.html
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```
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### **B. NetBox Plugins (Jinja2 Templating)**
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- **Why?** Customize NetBox’s UI with dynamic templates.
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- **Example**:
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```python
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# plugins/my_plugin/templates/my_plugin/device.html
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{% extends 'dcim/device.html' %}
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{% block content %}
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<h2>Custom Device View</h2>
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{{ super() }}
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{% endblock %}
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```
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---
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## **5. When to Avoid Jinja2 for Web Dev**
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- **Complex SPAs**: Use React/Vue if you need client-side state management.
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- **Real-Time UIs**: For WebSocket-heavy apps, pair Jinja2 with Socket.IO.
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- **Design-Heavy Sites**: Use a dedicated frontend framework (Svelte, Next.js).
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---
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## **Cheat Sheet: Choosing Your Stack**
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| **Use Case** | **Recommended Tools** |
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|-----------------------------|-------------------------------------|
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| Internal network dashboard | **Flask + Jinja2 + HTMX** |
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| API-driven config portal | **FastAPI + Jinja2 + Alpine.js** |
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| Static network docs | **MkDocs + Jinja2 + Mermaid** |
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| NetBox customization | **NetBox Plugins + Jinja2** |
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| Interactive topology viewer | **Flask + Jinja2 + D3.js** |
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---
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### **Final Advice**
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1. **Start Simple**: Use Flask/Jinja2 for internal tools.
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2. **Add Interactivity**: Sprinkle in HTMX or Alpine.js.
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3. **Scale Carefully**: For public-facing apps, consider a modern frontend framework.
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**Example Repo**:
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```bash
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git clone https://github.com/flask-jinja2-htmx/network-dashboard
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```
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**Your Move**: Replace one static HTML page with a Jinja2+HTMX dynamic view today. |