Module 1 · Introduction to Python · Lesson 6 of 6

There's more than one Python

Here's a subtle but useful distinction. “Python” is the language — the rules and vocabulary. The program that actually reads and runs your code is a separate thing called an implementation, and there are several of them.

One language, many engines

print("Hi")your Python code

↓ can be run by ↓

CPythondefault

The standard, written in C

PyPyspeed

A faster, just-in-time engine

Jythonjava

Runs on the Java JVM

IronPython.net

Runs on Microsoft .NET

MicroPythonchips

Runs on tiny microcontrollers

The one almost everyone uses is CPython — the reference implementation, written in C. When you download Python from python.org, that's what you get. The others exist for special reasons: PyPy runs the same code faster, while MicroPython shrinks it down to run on a chip smaller than a coin.

One more thing you'll hear about: Python 2 vs Python 3. Python 3 is the present and future — Python 2 reached its end of life in 2020. If you're starting today, you're learning Python 3, and that's exactly where the rest of this course goes next.