Programming language · Since 1991

Python

Python is a readable, general-purpose language with a large standard library, widely used for automation, web backends, data analysis and machine learning.

Start the guide Discussions

Python is a general-purpose programming language created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991. It uses indentation to mark code blocks and favors plain, readable syntax, so programs often look close to pseudocode. Code is run by an interpreter, which makes it easy to try ideas interactively and see results right away.

Python shines where development speed and a rich ecosystem matter more than raw performance: scripting and automation, web services, data analysis, scientific computing and machine learning. Its standard library covers files, networking, text processing and much more, and hundreds of thousands of third-party packages are available on PyPI. Performance-critical parts are often handled by libraries written in C or other compiled languages.

To get started, install Python 3, open the interactive prompt and work through the official tutorial. Learn early on to create a virtual environment for each project and to install packages with pip, then move on to the standard library reference and to writing tests.

Highlights

Readable syntax

Indentation defines blocks, and the language favors one clear way of doing things, which keeps code easy to read and review.

Batteries included

The standard library ships modules for files, JSON, HTTP, regular expressions, dates, testing and more, so many tasks need no extra packages.

Dynamic typing with type hints

Variables need no declared types, and optional type hints let editors and tools such as mypy catch mistakes before the code runs.

Large ecosystem

PyPI hosts a huge range of packages, from web frameworks like Django and Flask to data tools like NumPy and pandas.

Where it is used

Data analysis and machine learning
Web backends and APIs
Automation scripts and DevOps tooling
Scientific computing and education

Install

1
Install Python 3
On Windows and macOS, use the installer from python.org; on Linux, use your distribution's package manager. Then check the version in a terminal (on Windows, run py --version).
```
python3 --version
```
2
Create a virtual environment
Give each project its own environment so its packages stay isolated. On Windows, create it with py -m venv .venv and activate it with .venv\Scripts\activate; on macOS and Linux, activate it with source .venv/bin/activate.
```
python3 -m venv .venv
```
3
Install packages with pip
Once the environment is active, python points to it on every platform. Install packages from PyPI with pip and list them in requirements.txt when you share the project.
```
python -m pip install requests
```

Your first program

print() writes its argument to standard output. Save this line as hello.py and run it with python3 hello.py (on Windows, py hello.py) to see Hello, world!. There is no main function and no compile step: the interpreter runs the file from top to bottom.

hello.py

print("Hello, world!")

python3 hello.py

Everyday tools

pip: The standard package installer, which downloads and installs packages from PyPI.
venv: A standard library module that creates isolated virtual environments per project.
pytest: A popular testing framework built on plain assert statements, with a rich plugin ecosystem.
Jupyter: Interactive notebooks that combine code, output and notes, widely used for data work.

Step-by-step guide

Six chapters that take you from installation to the core ideas of Python.

Official docs and resources

Frameworks for this language

Discussions

Start a discussion

Ask questions, share experience and trade opinions about Python.

No discussions yet. Start the first one.