The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Python:
Python is a general-purpose, interpreted, object-oriented, multi-paradigm, and dynamically typed programming language known for its readable syntax and broad standard library. Python was created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991. It emphasizes code readability and developer productivity.[1][2][3]
What type of language is Python?[edit] Programming language — artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine. Object-oriented programming — built primarily around objects and classes. Functional programming — supports functions as first-class objects. Scripting language — often used for automation and small programs. General-purpose programming language — designed for a wide variety of application domains. Dynamically typed — type checking occurs at runtime. Interpreted language — code is executed by an interpreter. Multi-paradigm — supports procedural, object-oriented, and functional programming.[1] History of Python[edit] See also: History of Python ABC (programming language) – precourser to Python Python started by Guido van Rossum in 1989, first released in 1991. Python 2 — major version released in 2000, officially retired in 2020. Python 3 — released in 2008[4] General Python concepts[edit] See also: Python syntax and semantics Classes Comments and docstrings Context manager Data types Decorators Exceptions Functions Garbage collection Generators Indentation Interpreter Iterators Lambda expressions Literals Modules and import statements Objects Operators in Python Package management (pip) Python standard library Variables and Strings[5] Issues and limitations[edit] Performance — slower than compiled languages like C or Ja, can be mitigated by C extensions or JIT compilers (PyPy). Global interpreter lock — limits parallel CPU-bound threads in CPython Memory consumption — high memory use compared to some lower-level languages Version compatibility — Python 2 vs Python 3 differences caused migration issues Python implementations[edit] See also: List of Python implementations CPython — reference implementation in C IronPython — Python for .NET Jython — Python for the JVM MicroPython — Python for microcontrollers and embedded systems Nuitka — compiler that packages user code with CPython into a static binary PyPy — JIT-compiled Python interpreter for speed PythonAnywhere — freemium hosted Python installation that runs in the browser Stackless Python — Python with lightweight concurrency features[6] Python toolchain[edit] TIOBE Index Python stands at the top as of September 2025 List of Python software Comparison of Python IDEs Comparison of server-side web frameworks for Python List of Python frameworks List of Python libraries List of unit testing frameworks for Python Python Package Index Notable projects using Python[edit] YouTube (backend) Instagram (backend) Dropbox Reddit OpenStack Blender (scripting and plugins) SageMath NumPy Pandas TensorFlow Python development communities[edit] ActiveState — commercial Python distributions and support Anaconda, Inc. — Python data science ecosystem GitHub[7] Python Software Foundation Python Package Index (PyPI) — third-party software repository for Python[8] Example source code[edit] Articles with example Python code Python publications[edit] Books about Python[edit] Automate the Boring Stuff with Python[9] – Creative Commons Python book Alex Martelli — Python in a Nutshell and Python Cookbook Mark Pilgrim – Dive into Python Naomi Ceder — The Quick Python Book Wes McKinney — Python for Data Analysis Zed Shaw – Learn Python the Hard Way Textbooks[edit] Core Python Programming Python programmers[edit] Did M. Beazley Naomi Ceder John D. Hunter Glyph Lefkowitz Alex Martelli Wes McKinney Peter Norvig Tris Oliphant Fernando Pérez Tim Peters Mark Pilgrim Allison Randal Armin Ronacher Guido van Rossum Grant Sanderson Greg Stein Python conferences[edit] EuroPython[10] – annual Python conference in Europe PyCon – the largest annual convention for the Python community PyData[11] – conference series focused on data analysis, machine learning, and scientific computing with Python SciPy Conferences – focused on the use of Python in scientific computing and research DjangoCon – a conference dedicated to the Django web framework PyOhio[12] – a free regional Python conference held in Ohio[13] Python learning resources[edit] See also: List of online integrated development environments Codecademy – interactive Python programming lessons GeeksforGeeks – tutorials, coding examples, and interactive programming for Python concepts and data structures. Kaggle – free Python courses focused on data science and machine learning. Python.org Tutorial – the official Python tutorial from the Python Software Foundation.[14] Real Python – articles, tutorials, and courses for Python developers. W3Schools – beginner-friendly Python tutorials. Wikibooks Python Programming – free open-content textbook on Python. Competitive programming[edit] Codeforces – an online platform for programming contests that supports Python submissions Codewars – gamified coding challenges supporting Python HackerRank – competitive programming and interview preparation site with Python challenges Kaggle – while focused on data science competitions, it also includes Python-based problem solving. LeetCode – online judge and problem-solving platform where Python is widely used See also[edit] Outline of computer programming Outline of software Outline of software engineering List of programmers Outlines of other programming languages Outline of the C programming language Outline of the C sharp programming language Outline of the C++ programming language Outline of the Ja programming language Outline of the JaScript programming language Outline of the Perl programming language Outline of the Rust programming language External links[edit] Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Python programming Python.org — official site Python Documentation Python Package Index vtePythonImplementations CircuitPython CLPython CPython Cython MicroPython Numba IronPython Jython Psyco PyPy Python for S60 Shed Skin Stackless Python Unladen Swallow more... IDEs eric IDLE Ninja-IDE PyCharm PyDev Spyder more... Topics WSGI ASGI Zen of Python Designer Guido van Rossum Software (list) Python Software Foundation Python Conference (PyCon) References[edit] ^ a b "What is Python? Executive Summary". Python.org. ^ "Python Language advantages and applications". GeeksforGeeks. October 23, 2017. ^ "What is Python Programming Language? | Teradata". www.teradata.com. December 5, 2023. ^ "History of Python programming language". Cointelegraph. July 24, 2023. ^ "Introduction to Python". www.w3schools.com. ^ "Alternative Python Implementations". Python.org. ^ "Build software better, together". GitHub. ^ "Best Python Programmers' Communities Online". codeeasy.io. ^ "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python - Automate the Boring Stuff with Python". automatetheboringstuff.com. ^ https://www.europython-society.org/europython/ ^ "About | PyData". pydata.org. ^ Organizers, PyOhio. "Home - PyOhio 2025". www.pyohio.org. ^ "Conferences and Workshops". Python.org. ^ "Learning Resources". python.berkeley.edu.