How to Build Your Own Web Server on Raspberry Pi Pico W and Phew: A Step-by-Step Guide

In this step-by-step guide, I’ll walk you through the process of setting up a web server on a Raspberry Pi Pico W using Phew, making this seemingly daunting task straightforward and achievable.

Creating your own web server might seem like a complex task, However, with the advent of accessible hardware like the Raspberry Pi Pico W and user-friendly library such as Phew, building a web server is now within the reach of hobbyists and enthusiasts alike.

What You Needed to Build Web Server on Raspberry Pi Pico W

• Raspberry Pi Pico W
• Micro USB cable for power and programming
• Thonny IDE for writing and uploading code
• Internet connection for downloading Phew library

What is Phew and How It Can Help on Building Web Server on Raspberry Pi Pico W

Phew! is designed as a streamlined web server, focusing on efficiency and ease of use. It brings to the table a host of features optimized for rapid deployment and minimal memory footprint, making it an excellent choice for developers looking to implement web services on resource-constrained devices. Here’s a closer look at what Phew! offers:

• Efficient Web Server: At its core, Phew! serves as a basic web server, engineered for swift performance right from the moment it’s imported and throughout its operation.
• Speed Optimization: Every aspect of Phew! is fine-tuned for speed, ensuring quick import times and fast execution to handle web requests efficiently.
• Minimal Memory Usage: Understanding the constraints of microcontroller environments, Phew! is developed to be memory-efficient, allowing more room for your application’s logic.
• Parameterized Routing: Offers the ability to define dynamic routing rules, such as /greet/<name>, enabling personalized responses based on URL parameters.
• Inline Templating Engine: Incorporates a templating engine that supports inline Python expressions like {{name.lower()}}, making it simple to generate dynamic web content.
• Support for Key HTTP Methods: Phew! understands GET and POST request methods, covering the majority of use cases for web server interaction.
• Query String Handling: It can decode and parse query strings, simplifying the process of retrieving data passed in URLs.
• Unrouted Requests Catchall: For requests that don’t match any defined route, Phew! provides a catchall handler, ensuring no request is left unaddressed.
• Versatile POST Body Support: It’s equipped to handle various POST body types, including multipart/form-data, x-www-form-urlencoded, and JSON, offering flexibility in how data is received.
• Flexible Response Types: Responses can be crafted using strings, bytes, or generators, providing the flexibility to optimize resource use and response times.
• Wi-Fi Connection Simplified: Features a connect_to_wifi convenience method, streamlining the process of connecting your device to the internet.

Phew! is all about reducing the workload on developers. It aims to strip away the complexity and boilerplate code often associated with setting up a web server, opting instead for smart defaults and obscuring seldom-tweaked details.

Step 1: Setting Up Your Raspberry Pi Pico W

First, you need to ensure that your Raspberry Pi Pico W has been flashed with the latest MicroPython firmware and is ready to be programmed, You can follow How To Get Started with Raspberry Pi Pico in 2024 step by step guide.

Step 2: Installing and Setting Up Phew

• Open Thonny IDE and Go to Tools ->Manage Packages
• In the search box type “micropython-phew” and click on Search Micropython-lib and PyPI
  
  
  
• Select and Click on Install to start installing the Phew library to your Raspberry Pi Pico W
• Once installed you can notice lib folder would be created on Thonny IDE -> Raspberry Pi Pico W Files

Step 3: Creating an HTML File for Your Raspberry Pi Pico W Web Server

To create a functional and interactive webpage that your Raspberry Pi Pico W can serve, you’ll need to write some HTML code. This webpage will allow you to control the LED through your web browser by simply clicking links or buttons.

Below is a basic example of HTML content that you can start with. This example includes links to turn the LED on and off.

• Open a Text Editor: Use any text editor you like, such as Notepad on Windows, TextEdit on Mac, or Gedit on Linux. If you prefer something more geared towards coding, Visual Studio Code or Sublime Text are great options.
• Create Your HTML: Copy the HTML code provided below and paste it into your new file in the text editor.

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
    <head>
        <title>Raspberry Pi Pico Web Server</title>
        <!-- Required meta tags -->
        <meta charset="utf-8" />
        <meta
            name="viewport"
            content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, shrink-to-fit=no"
        />

        <!-- Bootstrap CSS v5.2.1 -->
        <link
            href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.3.2/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css"
            rel="stylesheet"
            integrity="sha384-T3c6CoIi6uLrA9TneNEoa7RxnatzjcDSCmG1MXxSR1GAsXEV/Dwwykc2MPK8M2HN"
            crossorigin="anonymous"
        />
    </head>

    <body>
        <header>
            <nav
                class="navbar navbar-expand-sm navbar-dark bg-success"
            >
                <a class="navbar-brand" href="#">&nbsp; Pi Pico Web Server</a>
                 
                
            </nav>
            
        </header>
        <main class="container">
            <div class="d-grid gap-3 p-5">
                <a
                    href="/on"
                    class="btn btn-danger"
                >
                    LED ON
            </a>
                <a
                    href="/off"
                    class="btn btn-success"
                >
                   LED OFF
        </a>
            </div>
            
        </main>
        <footer>
            <!-- place footer here -->
        </footer>
        <!-- Bootstrap JavaScript Libraries -->
        <script
            src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@popperjs/core@2.11.8/dist/umd/popper.min.js"
            integrity="sha384-I7E8VVD/ismYTF4hNIPjVp/Zjvgyol6VFvRkX/vR+Vc4jQkC+hVqc2pM8ODewa9r"
            crossorigin="anonymous"
        ></script>

        <script
            src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.3.2/dist/js/bootstrap.min.js"
            integrity="sha384-BBtl+eGJRgqQAUMxJ7pMwbEyER4l1g+O15P+16Ep7Q9Q+zqX6gSbd85u4mG4QzX+"
            crossorigin="anonymous"
        ></script>
    </body>
</html>

• Save Your File: Save the file with the name index.html.
• Upload to Your Raspberry Pi Pico W: Transfer the index.html file to the same directory as your Python script. How you do this will depend on your setup and how you’re editing and running scripts on your Raspberry Pi Pico W.

Step 4: Creating Web Server and Blink Onboard LED

Now, let’s get to the exciting part—creating your own Web Server on Raspberry Pi Pico W:

from phew import server, connect_to_wifi
import machine

ip = connect_to_wifi("SSID","PASSWORD")

print(ip)

page = open("index.html","r")
html= page.read()
page.close()

led = machine.Pin("LED", machine.Pin.OUT)

@server.route("/", methods=["GET"])
def home(request):
    return str(html)

@server.route("/<command>", methods=["GET"])
def command(request, command):
    if command == "on":
        led.on()
    elif command == "off":
        led.off()
    return str(html)

@server.catchall()
def catchall(request):
    return "Page not found", 404

server.run()

This code snippet demonstrates how to use the phew library to create a simple web server on a device like the Raspberry Pi Pico W, connect it to a Wi-Fi network, serve a static HTML page, and control an LED through web requests. Here’s a step-by-step explanation:

Wi-Fi Connection

• Importing Libraries:
  • from phew import server, connect_to_wifi imports the necessary functions from the phew library for creating a web server and connecting to a Wi-Fi network.
  • import machine imports the MicroPython machine module, which provides access to the hardware components of the microcontroller, such as GPIO pins.
• Connecting to Wi-Fi:
  • ip = connect_to_wifi("SSID", "PASSWORD") connects the microcontroller to a Wi-Fi network. It stores the IP address assigned to the device in the variable ip.
• Printing the IP Address:
  • print(ip) prints the device’s IP address to the console, which is helpful for knowing the address to access the web server.

Web Server Setup

• Serving a Static HTML Page:
  • The script opens an HTML file named “index.html“, reads its content into the variable html, and then closes the file. This HTML content is served as the homepage of the web server.
• Initializing an LED:
  • led = machine.Pin("LED", machine.Pin.OUT) initializes a GPIO pin as an output to control an LED. Note that "LED" should be replaced with the actual pin number or name according to your microcontroller’s documentation.

Routing

• Homepage Route:
  • @server.route("/", methods=["GET"]) defines a route for the web server’s root URL. When a GET request is received, the function home(request) is called, which returns the HTML content read earlier, displaying the homepage.
• Command Route:
  • @server.route("/<command>", methods=["GET"]) creates a dynamic route that captures part of the URL as a variable named command. This allows the user to control the LED by visiting URLs like /on or /off. Based on the command, the LED is turned on or off, respectively, and the homepage HTML is returned.

Catch-all Route

• Handling Unmatched Requests:
  • @server.catchall() defines a catch-all route for any requests that don’t match the above routes. It returns a “Page not found” message with a 404 status code, indicating that the requested page could not be found.

Running the Server

• Start the Web Server:
  • server.run() starts the web server, making it listen for incoming requests on the connected Wi-Fi network.

Save this file as main.py and upload to Raspberry Pi Pico W and click on run.

Congratulations! You’ve just built your own web server using a Raspberry Pi Pico W and Phew. This setup is a fantastic starting point for more complex projects, like home automation systems, personal websites, or IoT applications. The possibilities are endless, limited only by your imagination and willingness to experiment.

Happy coding, and enjoy your journey into the world of web servers and microcontrollers!

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