flask-web-tools

name	flask-web-tools
description	Build and deploy lightweight Flask web tools (file managers, dashboards, admin panels) on Linux servers. Covers Chinese/i18n filenames, mobile touch UX, simple auth, and Docker-free deployment.
triggers	["user asks to build a web UI, file manager, admin panel, or dashboard","user asks to deploy a Python web app on a server","user mentions 文件管理, 网盘, file manager, or web tool","user needs a simple internal tool with a web interface"]

Flask Web Tools

Build lightweight, single-file Flask web tools for server deployment. No heavy frameworks — Flask + inline HTML templates + vanilla JS.

Project Structure

/opt/<app-name>/
├── app.py              # Flask backend (all routes)
├── templates/
│   ├── login.html      # Auth page
│   ├── index.html      # Main app page
│   └── 404.html        # Error page
├── storage/            # User data (if file manager)
└── requirements.txt    # flask, werkzeug

Step-by-Step

1. Create project directory under /opt/<app-name>/
2. Write app.py with all routes in one file (no blueprints for simple tools)
3. Write HTML templates with inline CSS/JS (no build step, no npm)
4. Install deps: uv pip install flask werkzeug or use system pip with -i https://mirrors.aliyun.com/pypi/simple/
5. Run as background process: terminal(background=true) with the venv python
6. Test all endpoints with curl before telling user it's ready

Authentication Patterns

Secret Key Login (simplest)

SECRET_KEY = '699613'

@app.route('/login', methods=['GET', 'POST'])
def login():
    if request.method == 'POST':
        key = request.form.get('key', '').strip()
        if key == SECRET_KEY:
            session['authenticated'] = True
            session.permanent = True
            app.permanent_session_lifetime = timedelta(hours=72)
            return redirect(url_for('index'))
        return render_template('login.html', error='秘钥错误')
    return render_template('login.html')

Username/Password with Hash

import hashlib
USERS = {'admin': {'password_hash': hashlib.sha256('password'.encode()).hexdigest()}}

def verify_password(password, password_hash):
    return hashlib.sha256(password.encode()).hexdigest() == password_hash

Login Decorator

def login_required(f):
    @wraps(f)
    def decorated(*args, **kwargs):
        if 'authenticated' not in session:
            if request.path.startswith('/api/'):
                return jsonify({'error': '未登录'}), 401
            return redirect(url_for('login'))
        return f(*args, **kwargs)
    return decorated

Critical Pitfalls

Pitfall: secure_filename strips Chinese/CJK characters

werkzeug.utils.secure_filename removes ALL non-ASCII characters. Chinese filenames become empty strings.

Fix — custom safe_filename:

def safe_filename(name):
    """安全文件名：支持中文，防止路径穿越"""
    name = name.replace("\\", "/").split("/")[-1]
    name = name.replace("\x00", "")
    name = name.replace("..", "")
    name = name.strip(". ")
    if not name:
        return ""
    return name

Use this instead of secure_filename for all user-provided filenames.

Pitfall: Hover-only buttons invisible on mobile

CSS opacity: 0 with :hover { opacity: 1 } makes buttons invisible on touch devices (no hover state).

Two solutions:

1. Always visible: Remove opacity rules entirely, buttons always shown
2. Long-press action sheet (better UX): Add touch event handlers for mobile context menu

Pitfall: AJAX login forms can fail silently

Complex fetch()-based login can fail due to CORS, content-type mismatch, or JS errors. For simple tools, use plain HTML form POST — it's more reliable and works without JavaScript.

<form method="POST" action="/login">
    <input type="text" name="key" required>
    <button type="submit">登录</button>
</form>

Pitfall: Flask secret_key changes on restart

Using secrets.token_hex(32) generates a new key each restart, invalidating all session cookies. Use a fixed secret key for tools that need persistent sessions.

Pitfall: Python version mismatch on pip install

On systems with multiple Python versions, pip3 install may install to the wrong Python. Use the specific python binary:

/home/admin/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/python -m pip install flask
# or
uv pip install flask  # if using uv-managed venv

Mobile Long-Press Context Menu

For file managers and list-based UIs, add touch-based long-press:

let pressTimer = null;
let actionFile = null;

function pressStart(e, idx) {
    pressEnd(e);
    pressTimer = setTimeout(() => {
        const f = window._files[idx];
        showActionSheet(f);
        if (navigator.vibrate) navigator.vibrate(50); // haptic feedback
    }, 500); // 500ms threshold
}

function pressEnd(e) {
    if (pressTimer) { clearTimeout(pressTimer); pressTimer = null; }
}

Attach to rows: ontouchstart, ontouchend, ontouchmove, ontouchcancel, onmousedown, onmouseup, onmouseleave.

Action sheet CSS: fixed bottom sheet with slide-up animation, position: fixed; bottom: 0.

CSS Patterns

Responsive file list (hide columns on mobile)

@media (max-width: 700px) {
    .list-head, .row { grid-template-columns: 1fr 80px; }
    .ftime, .fops { display: none; }  /* hide time + ops columns */
}

Modal overlay

.modal-bg { position: fixed; top: 0; left: 0; right: 0; bottom: 0;
            background: rgba(0,0,0,.4); display: none; z-index: 100; }
.modal-bg.show { display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; }

Toast notification

.toast { position: fixed; top: 20px; right: 20px; transform: translateX(120%);
         transition: transform .3s; z-index: 200; }
.toast.show { transform: translateX(0); }

Path Traversal Prevention

Always validate file paths to prevent ../../../etc/passwd attacks:

def get_safe_path(path):
    path = path.strip('/')
    parts = []
    for part in path.split('/'):
        if part in ('', '.'): continue
        if part == '..':
            if parts: parts.pop()
            continue
        parts.append(part)
    safe_path = STORAGE_ROOT.joinpath(*parts)
    try:
        safe_path.resolve().relative_to(STORAGE_ROOT.resolve())
        return safe_path
    except ValueError:
        return STORAGE_ROOT  # fallback to root if path escapes

File Viewer / Preview

Add inline file viewing so users can click a file and see it without downloading.

Backend: /api/preview endpoint

@app.route('/api/preview')
@login_required
def preview_file():
    file_path = request.args.get('path')
    if not file_path:
        return jsonify({'error': '未指定文件'}), 400
    target_file = get_safe_path(file_path)
    if not target_file.exists() or not target_file.is_file():
        return jsonify({'error': '文件不存在'}), 404
    mime_type = mimetypes.guess_type(target_file.name)[0] or 'application/octet-stream'
    # Text files: force UTF-8
    text_exts = {'.txt','.md','.json','.xml','.html','.htm','.css','.js','.py','.sh',
                 '.yaml','.yml','.toml','.ini','.cfg','.conf','.log','.csv','.sql',
                 '.java','.c','.cpp','.h','.go','.rs','.rb','.php','.swift',,
                 ,,,,,,,}
    ext = os.path.splitext(target_file.name)[].lower()
     ext  text_exts  mime_type.startswith():
        mime_type = 
     send_file((target_file), mimetype=mime_type)

⚠️ PITFALL: This route MUST be placed BEFORE if __name__ == '__main__':. Flask ignores routes defined after the main block. If you append with cat >>, the route won't register.

Frontend: viewer modal

Types and their rendering:

Type	Detection	HTML
Image	type.startsWith('image/')	<img src="/api/preview?path=...">
Video	type.startsWith('video/')	<video controls autoplay><source ...>
Audio	type.startsWith('audio/')	<audio controls autoplay><source ...>
PDF	ext === 'pdf'	<iframe src="/api/preview?path=...">
Text/Code	ext in text_exts list	fetch(url).then(r => r.text()) → <pre>
Office	doc/xls/ppt/odt	<iframe src="https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/embed.aspx?src=...">
Other	fallback	Download prompt

Viewer CSS: full-screen dark overlay (z-index: 200), top bar with filename + close + download buttons, body centered with scrollable content.

Office preview caveat: Microsoft's online viewer requires the file URL to be publicly accessible. Works on public servers, won't work on localhost/LAN.

Critical Pitfall: Flask Route Placement

⚠️ Routes defined AFTER if __name__ == '__main__': are NOT registered.

When appending routes (e.g., cat >> app.py), always insert BEFORE the main block:

# ✅ Correct order
@app.route('/api/new-endpoint')
def new_func(): ...

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(...)

# ❌ WRONG — route never registers
if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(...)

@app.route('/api/new-endpoint')  # ← ignored!
def new_func(): ...

Fix: split file, move routes above if __name__, or rewrite the whole file.

Serving Public Static Files (No Auth Required)

For admin panels, userscripts, or test pages that should be accessible without login:

# Public routes — BEFORE login_required routes
@app.route('/admin.html')
def serve_admin():
    return send_file(str(STORAGE_ROOT / 'admin.html'))

@app.route('/chaoxing.user.js')
def serve_userscript():
    return send_file(str(STORAGE_ROOT / 'chaoxing.user.js'), mimetype='application/javascript')

@app.route('/test-video.html')
def serve_test():
    return send_file(str(STORAGE_ROOT / 'test-video.html'))

Use case: Self-contained tools where the admin UI and API client scripts are served from the same Flask app. Users access http://server/admin.html directly without logging into the file manager.

Deployment Checklist

1. Fixed secret_key (not random per restart)
2. Chinese filename support (custom safe_filename)
3. Path traversal prevention
4. Mobile responsive (or long-press menu)
5. Upload size limit: app.config['MAX_CONTENT_LENGTH']
6. File preview/viewer endpoint
7. Background process with terminal(background=true)
8. Test all CRUD operations with curl before announcing
9. All routes placed BEFORE if __name__ == '__main__':