CPython

Not to be confused with Cython.

CPython

Developer(s)	Python core developers and the Python community
Stable release	3.2 / February 20, 2011; 8 months ago (2011-02-20)
Written in	C
Platform	Cross-platform
Type	Python Programming Language Interpreter
License	Python Software Foundation License
Website	Python.org

CPython is the default, most-widely used implementation of the Python programming language. It is written in C. In addition to CPython, there are two other production-quality Python implementations: Jython, written in Java, and IronPython, which is written for the Common Language Runtime. There are also several experimental implementations.^[1]

CPython is a bytecode interpreter. It has a foreign function interface with several languages including C, in which one must explicitly write bindings in a language other than Python.

Supported platforms

Unix-like AIX operating system BSD Darwin FreeBSD HP-UX IRIX 5 and later Plan 9 from Bell Labs Mac OS X NetBSD Linux OpenBSD Solaris Tru64 Other Unixes

Desktop OSes AROS AtheOS BeOS Windows Windows NT OS/2 RISC OS

Special and embedded GP2X iPodLinux Nintendo DS Nintendo Gamecube Symbian OS Series60 Nokia 770 Internet Tablet Nokia N800 Nokia N810 Nokia N900 Palm OS PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 (Linux) Psion QNX Sharp Zaurus Xbox/XBMC VxWorks Openmoko

Mainframe and other OS/390 VMS z/OS

Previously supported platforms

PEP 11 lists platforms which are not supported in CPython by Python Software Foundation. These platforms can still be supported by external ports. See below.

• DOS (unsupported since 2.0)
• IRIX 4 (unsupported since 2.3)
• Mac OS 9 (unsupported since 2.4)
• MINIX (unsupported since 2.3)

External ports

These are ports not integrated to Python Software Foundation's official version of CPython, with links to its main development site. Ports often include additional modules for platform-specific functionalities, like graphics and sound API for PSP and SMS and camera API for S60.

• Amiga: AmigaPython
• AS/400: iSeriesPython
• DOS using DJGPP: PythonD
• PlayStation Portable: Stackless Python for PSP
• Symbian OS: Python for S60
• Windows CE/Pocket PC: Python Windows CE port

Concurrency issues

A significant drawback to using CPython on a multitasking computer is the presence of a Global Interpreter Lock on each CPython interpreter process, which effectively disables concurrent Python threads within one process.^[1] To be truly concurrent in multitasking environment, separate CPython interpreter processes have to be run, which makes establishing communication between them a difficult task, though the multiprocessing module mitigates this somewhat. There is constant discussion whether to remove the GIL from CPython.^[2]

Notes

1. ^ Martelli, Alex (2006). Python in a Nutshell (2nd edition ed.). O'Reilly. pp. 5–7. ISBN 978-0-596-10046-9. 

References

1. ^ Python/C API Reference Manual: Thread State and the Global Interpreter Lock
2. ^ Python Library and Extension FAQ: Can't we get rid of the Global Interpreter Lock? Archived 31 January 2011 at WebCite