Forget WSGI! Switch to ASGI Today.

Stop using WSGI with your Python web apps. ASGI is the future.

Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

History of WSGI

WSGI came into the picture way back in 2003. It was introduced as a standard interface (thanks to PEP 333 and PEP 3333) to connect Python web apps with web servers. And for its time? WSGI was a game changer. It simplified the messy world of web development and gave us gems like Django and Flask.

But let’s face it — times have changed. WSGI, which was built for synchronous HTTP request handling, is starting to feel a little… old.

Drawbacks

Let’s talk about why WSGI is no longer cutting it:

1. Synchronous-only design : WSGI can only handle one thing at a time. Want to build real-time apps with WebSockets or stream data? Too bad.
2. Scalability issues : Today’s apps need to juggle thousands of connections. WSGI’s thread-per-request model? Not built for that.
3. Limited flexibility : HTTP/2, server-sent events, or anything shiny and new? WSGI can’t help you without hacks.
4. Blocked threads = wasted resources : Waiting on APIs or long-running tasks? WSGI blocks the thread until it’s done. Ouch.

The need for change