Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Tornado VS ArcGIS API for Python

Compare Tornado VS ArcGIS API for Python and see what are their differences

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Tornado logo Tornado

A Python web framework and asynchronous networking library, originally developed at FriendFeed

ArcGIS API for Python logo ArcGIS API for Python

Perform visualization, analysis and management of your web GIS using a powerful, modern and easy to use Python API.
  • Tornado Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29
  • ArcGIS API for Python Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-22

Tornado features and specs

  • Asynchronous Networking
    Tornado's core is built on non-blocking network I/O, making it suitable for applications that require a high level of concurrency and can benefit from asynchronous networking.
  • WebSockets Support
    Native support for WebSockets allows Tornado to handle real-time web applications, such as live chats or streaming services, more efficiently.
  • Scalability
    Tornado can handle thousands of simultaneous connections, which makes it highly scalable and an excellent choice for applications expecting high traffic volume.
  • Integrated with asyncio
    Tornado is compatible with Python's asyncio library, providing more flexibility in managing asynchronous operations and integration with other modern async Python libraries.
  • Template Engine
    Comes with a built-in template engine, making it easy to build dynamic web pages without needing to integrate additional templating tools.
  • Long-Polling and SSE
    Supports long-polling and Server-Sent Events (SSE), providing more options for real-time data transfer in web applications.

Possible disadvantages of Tornado

  • Steeper Learning Curve
    Requires a good understanding of asynchronous programming and non-blocking I/O, which can be challenging for developers who are accustomed to synchronous paradigms.
  • Smaller Community
    Compared to other frameworks like Django or Flask, Tornado has a smaller community, which may result in fewer resources, tutorials, and third-party plugins.
  • Limited Out-of-the-Box Features
    Tornado is more low-level and does not come with built-in support for many web development features (e.g., authentication, ORM) that are readily available in other frameworks.
  • Performance Overhead
    The performance benefits of Tornadoโ€™s asynchronous capabilities are more noticeable in I/O-intensive applications. For CPU-bound tasks, the performance gains may be negligible or require additional libraries for parallel processing.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Older versions of Tornado may have compatibility issues with the latest Python releases or other modern async libraries, necessitating careful version management.
  • Less Beginner-Friendly
    Tornadoโ€™s emphasis on low-level control and asynchronous design patterns makes it less beginner-friendly compared to more opinionated, batteries-included frameworks.

ArcGIS API for Python features and specs

  • Integration with ArcGIS Platform
    The API provides seamless integration with the ArcGIS platform, allowing users to manage and analyze geographic data effectively within the same ecosystem they use for other ArcGIS tools.
  • Extensive Documentation
    ArcGIS API for Python offers comprehensive and well-organized documentation that helps developers quickly understand its capabilities and incorporate its functions into their workflows.
  • Jupyter Notebook Support
    The API can be easily used within Jupyter Notebooks, providing an interactive environment for data visualization and spatial analysis, which is highly appreciated by data scientists.
  • Robust Geospatial Analysis
    The API includes a rich set of tools for performing complex geospatial analyses, enabling users to process and analyze large datasets efficiently.
  • Automation Capabilities
    Users can automate their GIS tasks through scripting, which increases productivity by reducing the time needed for repetitive tasks and enabling the creation of complex geospatial workflows.

Possible disadvantages of ArcGIS API for Python

  • Licensing Costs
    ArcGIS API for Python usage may require an ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise subscription, which can be expensive for individual users or small organizations.
  • Learning Curve
    While the API is powerful, it may have a steep learning curve for users not already familiar with the ArcGIS platform or GIS concepts in general.
  • Dependency on Esri Ecosystem
    The API is tightly integrated with Esriโ€™s ecosystem, which can be limiting for users who require integration with other non-Esri geospatial tools and platforms.
  • Performance Overhead
    Some users may experience performance issues with very large datasets due to overhead, which might necessitate additional optimization and resource management.
  • Limited Offline Capabilities
    While it provides powerful online tools, its offline capabilities are limited compared to the full desktop version of ArcGIS, which can be a constraint in non-networked environments.

Analysis of Tornado

Overall verdict

  • Tornado is a good choice if you need a highly concurrent web framework that's capable of handling a large number of open connections efficiently. It may not be the best choice for traditional web applications where synchronous processing is more prevalent.

Why this product is good

  • Tornado is known for its high performance and ability to handle thousands of simultaneous connections, making it an excellent choice for building high-traffic applications. It is lightweight and designed to efficiently deal with asynchronous operations, which is ideal for real-time web services.

Recommended for

  • Real-time web services
  • Applications with long-lived network connections
  • High-performance applications requiring non-blocking network I/O
  • Websockets-based communication

Tornado videos

Review Honda Tornado 250

More videos:

  • Review - Tevo Tornado 2018 edition review: Big volume, big value
  • Review - The Retro51 Tornado Pen: The Full Nick Shabazz Review

ArcGIS API for Python videos

Introduction to the ArcGIS API for Python

More videos:

  • Review - ArcGIS API for Python: Getting to Know Pandas and the Spatial Enabled DataFrame
  • Review - ArcGIS API for Python: Mapping, Visualization, and Analysis

Category Popularity

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Web And Application Servers
Web Frameworks
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100% 100
Web Servers
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0% 0
Developer Tools
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100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Tornado and ArcGIS API for Python

Tornado Reviews

25 Python Frameworks to Master
Tornado is an open-source asynchronous web framework and networking library for building web applications using Python. It was originally developed at FriendFeed, a social media aggregator that was later acquired by Facebook. Itโ€™s now widely used in a variety of applications, including web services, real-time analytics, and other high-concurrency applications.
Source: kinsta.com
Exploring 5 Alternatives to Flask in Python for Web Development
Tornado is a scalable web framework in Python that is well-suited for real-time web applications. It provides a non-blocking I/O loop that enables developers to handle thousands of connections at once. Tornado also has support for various third-party plugins and tools that can be easily integrated into the framework. To install Tornado, use the following command:
Source: msalinasc.com
Top 5 Asynchronous Web Frameworks for Python
Tornado has a strong and committed following in the Python community and is used by experienced architects to build highly capable systems. Itโ€™s a framework that has long had the answer to the problems of concurrency but perhaps didnโ€™t become mainstream as it doesnโ€™t support the WSGI standard and was too much of a buy-in (remember that the bulk of Python libraries are still...
Source: geekflare.com

ArcGIS API for Python Reviews

We have no reviews of ArcGIS API for Python yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, ArcGIS API for Python seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 6 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Tornado mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Tornado yet. Tracking of Tornado recommendations started around Mar 2021.

ArcGIS API for Python mentions (6)

  • GeoTab and ArcGIS Online Intergration
    If it were me, I'd start with Geotab's developer api for programmatically tapping into the feeds of near real time vehicle movement, combined with ESRI's python api for creating and updating feature services on Arconline. I bet you could get near real time if you run the updates fairly frequently, like maybe once or twice a minute, depending on your needs. Source: over 3 years ago
  • ArcGIS / ArcMap on Linux with Bottles?
    If you are used to Python and Jupyter Notebooks, you should definately get your hands dirty with https://developers.arcgis.com/python/. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Exporting private feature service from AGOL
    Have you looked at ArcGIS API for Python? It's not the same as arcpy, but used more for working with Esri's portals. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Any GIS developers here?
    We are very heavy into using the ESRI suite of tools and which languages I use depend heavily on the project I am working on. I would say I mostly use Python, but mainly with the ArGIS API for Python, not arcpy. I do use quite a bit of javascript to develop UIs for widgets as well, but that is not anywhere near as common. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Python courses - best one for GIS?
    Once you have your foundation, then https://developers.arcgis.com/python/ and https://developers.arcgis.com/documentation/arcgis-add-ins-and-automation/arcpy/ become much easier to understand. Also be aware that you can run Geoprocessing Tools in ArcGIS Desktop and in the Geoprocessing History, copy out the Python snippets to add to your code and automate. Source: about 4 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Tornado and ArcGIS API for Python, you can also consider the following products

Apache Tomcat - An open source software implementation of the Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages technologies

Django - The Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines

LiteSpeed Web Server - LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) is a high-performance Apache drop-in replacement.

Flask - a microframework for Python based on Werkzeug, Jinja 2 and good intentions.

Microsoft IIS - Internet Information Services is a web server for Microsoft Windows

CherryPy - CherryPy allows developers to build web applications in much the same way they would build any other object-oriented Python program.