# API

Python applications can integrate pycsw into their custom workflows. This allows for seamless integate within frameworks like Flask and Django

Below are examples of where using the API (as opposed to the default WSGI/CGI services could be used:

- configuration based on a Python dict, or stored in a database
- downstream request environment / framework (Flask, Django)
- authentication or authorization logic
- forcing CSW version 2.0.2 as default

## Simple Flask Example

    import logging

    from flask import Flask, request

    from pycsw import __version__ as pycsw_version
    from pycsw.server import Csw

    LOGGER = logging.getLogger(__name__)
    APP = Flask(__name__)

    @APP.route('/csw')
    def csw_wrapper():
        """CSW wrapper"""

        LOGGER.info('Running pycsw %s', pycsw_version)

        pycsw_config = some_dict  # really comes from somewhere

        # initialize pycsw
        # pycsw_config: either a ConfigParser object or a dict of
        # the pycsw configuration
        #
        # env: dict of (HTTP) environment (defaults to os.environ)
        #
        # version: defaults to '3.0.0'
        my_csw = Csw(pycsw_config, request.environ, version='2.0.2')

        # dispatch the request
        http_status_code, response = my_csw.dispatch_wsgi()

        return response, http_status_code, {'Content-type': csw.contenttype}