Twisted Web

intermediate

Event-driven Python web server framework.

Overview

Twisted Web is a mature event-driven networking framework written in Python that pioneered asynchronous web development before async/await became mainstream. Originally developed by Glyph Lefkowitz in 2000, Twisted uses a reactor pattern and Deferred objects to handle thousands of concurrent connections efficiently in a single-threaded event loop, making it ideal for high-concurrency applications like chat servers, streaming services, and real-time data feeds. This Docker configuration sets up a Python 3.12 environment running Twisted Web server on port 8080, providing a lightweight foundation for building scalable network applications that require non-blocking I/O operations and long-lived connections. Twisted Web excels in scenarios where traditional threaded web servers struggle, particularly for applications requiring WebSocket connections, Server-Sent Events, or custom protocols alongside standard HTTP handling. The framework's unique approach to asynchronous programming through its reactor pattern and Deferred callbacks makes it particularly valuable for developers building chat applications, IoT data collectors, real-time dashboards, or any service requiring persistent client connections with minimal resource overhead.

Key Features

Event-driven architecture with reactor pattern for handling thousands of concurrent connections
Built-in WebSocket support through txws and autobahn integration for real-time communication
WSGI compatibility allowing Django and Flask applications to run within Twisted's event loop
Deferred objects for elegant callback-based asynchronous programming without async/await syntax
Resource-based URL routing system with hierarchical request handling
Integrated HTTP/HTTPS server with support for virtual hosts and SSL/TLS termination
Protocol abstraction layer supporting custom network protocols beyond HTTP
Template system integration with Nevow and Jinja2 for dynamic content generation

Common Use Cases

1Real-time chat applications requiring persistent WebSocket connections for multiple users
2IoT data collection services handling continuous sensor data streams from embedded devices
3Live dashboard applications displaying real-time metrics with Server-Sent Events
4Game servers requiring custom protocols and low-latency client-server communication
5API gateways for microservices requiring connection pooling and request multiplexing
6Streaming media servers delivering content to multiple concurrent clients
7Development environments for testing asynchronous Python applications before production deployment

Prerequisites

Docker Engine 20.10+ and Docker Compose V2 for container orchestration support
Minimum 512MB RAM for basic Twisted applications, 2GB+ for high-concurrency workloads
Python development knowledge with understanding of callback-based asynchronous programming
Port 8080 available on host system for Twisted Web server access
Basic understanding of event-driven programming concepts and reactor patterns
Knowledge of Twisted's Deferred objects and inlineCallbacks decorator usage

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  twisted: 
3    image: python:3.12-slim
4    container_name: twisted-web
5    restart: unless-stopped
6    working_dir: /app
7    command: python server.py
8    volumes: 
9      - ./app:/app
10    ports: 
11      - "8080:8080"
12    networks: 
13      - twisted-network
14
15networks: 
16  twisted-network: 
17    driver: bridge

.env Template

.env

1# Install twisted: pip install twisted

Usage Notes

1Docs: https://docs.twisted.org/en/stable/web/
2Event-driven networking - single-threaded async model
3WebSocket support via autobahn or txws
4WSGI compatible - can run Django/Flask apps
5Good for real-time apps, chat, streaming
6Install in container: pip install twisted

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  twisted:
5    image: python:3.12-slim
6    container_name: twisted-web
7    restart: unless-stopped
8    working_dir: /app
9    command: python server.py
10    volumes:
11      - ./app:/app
12    ports:
13      - "8080:8080"
14    networks:
15      - twisted-network
16
17networks:
18  twisted-network:
19    driver: bridge
20EOF
21
22# 2. Create the .env file
23cat > .env << 'EOF'
24# Install twisted: pip install twisted
25EOF
26
27# 3. Start the services
28docker compose up -d
29
30# 4. View logs
31docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/twisted-web/run | bash

Troubleshooting

ImportError: No module named 'twisted': Run 'pip install twisted' in container or add to requirements.txt
reactor.run() called from non-main thread: Ensure Twisted reactor runs in main thread, use reactor.callFromThread() for threading
Address already in use (port 8080): Check if another service uses port 8080 or modify port mapping in docker-compose.yml
Unhandled error in Deferred: Add proper errback handlers to all Deferred objects to catch exceptions
Resource not found (404 errors): Verify resource tree structure and ensure proper addChild() calls in resource hierarchy
SSL context errors with HTTPS: Generate proper SSL certificates and configure SSL context factory in server.py

Community Notes

Loading notes...

Download Recipe Kit

Get all files in a ready-to-deploy package

Includes docker-compose.yml, .env template, README, and license

Components

twisted

Related Recipes

Ad Space

Shortcuts: C CopyF FavoriteD Download