Build a stock chart web application
Building a stock chart web application on a Windows computer is a great project for a beginner. Here are the very detailed steps to guide you from start to finish. We'll use Visual Studio Code, a popular and user-friendly code editor, and the command prompt for running commands.

Build a stock chart web application
Building a web application in Python to generate stock charts involves several key components, including data acquisition, chart generation, a web framework for serving the application, and a frontend for user interaction. This guide will walk you through the process step-by-step.
Overview of the Application
This application will allow users to enter a stock ticker symbol, and in response, it will display an interactive stock chart. The backend will be powered by Python using Flask, and the frontend will use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. For charting, we'll use
yfinance
to fetch data and
Plotly
for creating interactive visualizations.
Step 1: Install Necessary Software
First, you need to set up your computer with the right tools.
- Install Python:
- Go to the official Python website: https://www.python.org/downloads/
- Download the latest version of Python for Windows.
- Run the installer. Very important: Check the box that says "Add python.exe to PATH" during installation. This makes it easy to run Python from anywhere on your computer.
- Install Visual Studio Code (VS Code):
- Go to the VS Code website: https://code.visualstudio.com/
- Download and install the application.
- VS Code is an excellent text editor for writing code.
- Create a Project Folder:
- Go to your Desktop or Documents folder.
- Create a new folder named
stock_app
. This will be your project's home.
Step 2: Set Up the Project Environment
Now, let's open your project folder in VS Code and install the required libraries.
- Open VS Code:
- Launch Visual Studio Code.
- Go to
File >
Open Folder... and select the
stock_app
folder you just created. - Open the Terminal:
- In VS Code, go to the top menu and click Terminal > New Terminal.
- A command line window will open at the bottom of VS Code. This terminal is your control panel.
- Install Libraries:
- In the terminal, type the following command and press Enter: pip install Flask yfinance pandas plotly. This will download and install all the Python packages needed for the project:
- Check Point: After running the command, you should see a lot of text showing that packages are being successfully installed. When it finishes, you'll see a new command prompt line.
Step 3: Create the Python Backend
Now you'll create the Python file that powers the application. This file will contain your Flask application, responsible for fetching data and generating chart JSON.
- Create the Flask Application
app.py
:
- In the VS Code file explorer (on the left side), click the "New File" icon (it looks like a document with a plus sign).
- Name the file
app.py
. - Copy and paste the complete Python code from the resources folder into this app.py file. Make sure you don't miss any part.
- Save the file by pressing Ctrl + S.
Step 4: Frontend Development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
Next, you'll create the webpage the user sees. Now, let's create the frontend files that the Flask application will serve.
- Create a
templates
Folder: - In the VS Code file explorer, click the "New Folder" icon.
- Name the new folder
templates
. - Create
index.html
: - Click on the new
templates
folder to select it. - Click the "New File" icon inside the
templates
folder. - Name the file
index.html
. - Copy and paste the complete HTML code from the resources folder into this file.
- Save the file by pressing Ctrl + S.
- Check Point: Your project structure should now look exactly like this:
stock_app/
├── app.py
└── templates/
└── index.html
Step 5: Run the Application
This is the final step where you'll bring everything to life.
- Start the Server:
- Go back to the terminal at the bottom of your VS Code window.
- Type the following command and press Enter:
python app.py
- Server Status:
- Check Point: You will see a few lines of text appear in the terminal. The most important line will say something like:
-
* Running on http://127.0.0.1:5000 (Press CTRL+C to quit)
- This means your server is up and running. Do not close this terminal window. If you do, the server will stop.
- Visualize Your Progress:
- Open your web browser (Google Chrome, Firefox, etc.).
- In the address bar, type
http://127.0.0.1:5000
and press Enter. - Final Check Point: You should see your web application page with the stock chart for NVDA automatically loaded. This is your final result! You can now type a new stock symbol in the input box and click the button to see a new chart.




