I’m developing a Flask application and I’ve reached a point where I’m questioning the organization of my route services. As the application grows, I’m finding it increasingly difficult to manage and maintain the functional approach I started with. I’m considering switching to an Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) approach, inspired by the class methods I’m already using in my Models.

I’d like the community’s input on which approach would be more suitable for a growing Flask application. Here are the two approaches I’m considering:

Approach 1: Functional Programming

Currently, I have functions that handle the logic for each route. For example:

def validate_login(email, password):
    user = UserModel.find_by_email(email)
    if user and user.check_password(password):
        # Login logic here
        return {'message': 'Login successful', 'user': user}
    return {'message': 'Invalid credentials'}, 401

@app.route('/login', methods=['POST'])
def login():
    data = request.get_json()
    return validate_login(data['email'], data['password'])

Approach 2: OOP with Class Methods

I’m considering refactoring to use a class with class methods, like this:

class AuthService:
    @classmethod
    def validate_login(cls, email, password):
        user = UserModel.find_by_email(email)
        if user and user.check_password(password):
            # Login logic here
            return {'message': 'Login successful', 'user': user}
        return {'message': 'Invalid credentials'}, 401

@app.route('/login', methods=['POST'])
def login():
    data = request.get_json()
    return AuthService.validate_login(**data)

My Thoughts

1. The application is growing, and the functional approach is becoming harder to manage.
2. I’m already using class methods in my Models, so adopting an OOP approach for services feels consistent.
3. The OOP approach might provide better organization and potential for reuse.

Questions

1. Which approach would be more suitable for a growing Flask application?
2. Are there any significant advantages or disadvantages to either approach that I should consider?
3. How might each approach affect testability and maintainability as the application continues to grow?
4. Are there any best practices or common patterns in the Flask community for organizing route services in larger applications?

Any insights or experiences you can share would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!