{"id":79303,"date":"2020-07-06T09:00:14","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T03:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techvidvan.com\/tutorials\/?p=79303"},"modified":"2020-07-06T09:00:14","modified_gmt":"2020-07-06T03:30:14","slug":"python-compilers-and-interpreters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techvidvan.com\/tutorials\/python-compilers-and-interpreters\/","title":{"rendered":"Python Compilers and Interpreters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Throughout your journey with Python, you must\u2019ve read time and again that Python<\/strong> is an interpreted language<\/strong>. Then why does we need Python compilers<\/strong> for?<\/p>\n

Well, under the hood, your Python code is first compiled to something called a \u201cbyte code\u201d<\/strong>. And it is then passed to the Python Virtual machine<\/strong> where it gets interpreted<\/strong>. So, we can think of Python as a \u201ccompiled interpreted\u201d<\/strong> language.<\/p>\n

A compiler is a program that translates<\/strong> code<\/strong> from a high-level language<\/strong> to a lower-level language<\/strong>. In this article, we\u2019ll learn about some of the best implementations<\/strong> of Python compilers<\/strong> and interpreters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Best<\/a><\/p>\n

Best Python Compilers<\/h3>\n

Below are some of the best compilers<\/strong> in python:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u00a0CPython<\/li>\n
  2. Jython<\/li>\n
  3. IronPython<\/li>\n
  4. PyPy<\/li>\n
  5. PyJS<\/li>\n
  6. Nuitka<\/li>\n
  7. Stackless Python<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Let\u2019s look at each of these in detail.<\/p>\n

    1. CPython<\/h4>\n

    \"cython\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    CPython is a \u201creference implementation\u201d<\/strong> of Python<\/strong>. That is, CPython is a standard from<\/strong> which developers can derive<\/strong> their own implementations<\/strong> of the Python language.<\/p>\n

    Though there are many alternative<\/strong> implementations of Python, CPython<\/strong> is still the most popular<\/strong>. It gets its name from the fact that it\u2019s written in C<\/strong> and Python<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    CPython first compiles Python code<\/strong> into bytecode<\/strong> and then interprets<\/strong> it. This is why it recognizes as both an interpreter<\/strong> and a compiler<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Original Author(s) –<\/strong> Guido van Rossum
    \nDeveloper(s) –<\/strong> Python Core Developers
    \nStable Release –<\/strong> 3.8.2 on 24 February 2020
    \nWritten in –<\/strong> C, Python
    \nType –<\/strong> Python Programming Language Interpreter
    \nCompatible with –<\/strong> Python 3.8<\/p>\n

    2. Jython<\/h4>\n

    \"jython\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    Jython is an implementation of Python and runs on the Java Virtual Machine<\/strong>. It is available<\/strong> for free<\/strong> for both commercial<\/strong> and non-commercial use<\/strong>. Jython programmers have the ability<\/strong> to import<\/strong> and use<\/strong> any Java class<\/strong> in their Jython code<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Jython first compiles a Python code<\/strong> into Java bytecode<\/strong> which has a .class extension<\/strong>. Since Jython is a JVM implementation<\/strong>, Jython is available<\/strong> only for those platforms which have JVM<\/strong> installed on them.<\/p>\n

    Stable Release –<\/strong> 2.7.2 on 21 March 2020
    \nWritten in –<\/strong> Java, Python
    \nType –<\/strong> Python Programming Language Interpreter
    \nCompatible with –<\/strong> Python 2.7<\/p>\n

    3. IronPython<\/h4>\n

    \"ironpython\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    IronPython is an implementation<\/strong> of Python language<\/strong> that runs on the .NET framework<\/strong>. It is entirely written<\/strong> in C#<\/strong>. The .NET<\/strong> framework is a highly functional and interactive tool. This makes IronPython<\/strong> an excellent choice for Python developers<\/strong> who want to work in a .NET environment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    IronPython first interprets a Python source code<\/strong> to an in-memory bytecode<\/strong> and then executes<\/strong> it. Microsoft<\/strong> abandoned IronPython in late 2010. Currently, a group of volunteers on Github<\/strong> maintains the project.<\/p>\n

    Original Author(s) –<\/strong> Jim Hugunin, Microsoft
    \nDeveloper(s) –<\/strong> Dino Viehland, .NET Foundation
    \nStable Release –<\/strong> 2.7.9 on 18 October 2018
    \nWritten in –<\/strong> C#
    \nType –<\/strong> Python Programming Language Implementation
    \nCompatible with –<\/strong> Python 2.7<\/p>\n

    4. PyPy<\/h4>\n

    \"pypy\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    The creator of Python says – “If you want your code to run faster, you should probably just use PyPy.”<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    PyPy takes your Python code and runs it through a just-in-time compiler<\/strong>, producing a final product<\/strong> that runs faster<\/strong> than CPython<\/strong>. The official website of PyPy claims that on average, PyPy runs 4.4 times faster<\/strong> than CPython.<\/p>\n

    PyPy offers 2 major advantages<\/strong> over the traditional CPython implementation:<\/p>\n