Python notes #1 (A Comprehensive Introduction to Python)
2 min readMar 13, 2025
Python’s key features
- Python is dynamically typed, interpreted, and supports multiple programming paradigms (OOP, functional, procedural). It has a large standard library and automatic memory management.
Python memory management
- Python uses a private heap for memory management and has built-in garbage collection using reference counting and cyclic garbage collection.
Deep copy and shallow copy
- A shallow copy creates a new object but references the original elements, while a deep copy creates a completely independent copy of the original object and its elements.
Global Interpreter Lock (GIL)
- GIL is a mutex in CPython that allows only one thread to execute at a time, limiting true parallel execution in multi-threaded programs.
Python dynamic typing handling
- Python determines variable types at runtime, making development faster but potentially leading to runtime errors if types are misused.
CPython and Python’s different implementations
- CPython is the default interpreter, PyPy offers JIT compilation for speed, Jython runs on the JVM, and IronPython integrates with .NET.
- CPython is the default and most widely used implementation of Python, written in C. It compiles Python code into bytecode and executes it using a stack-based virtual machine. CPython includes a built-in garbage collector and follows the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL), which restricts true parallel execution in multi-threaded programs. It is the reference implementation of Python, meaning all other implementations (like PyPy, Jython, and IronPython) aim for compatibility with CPython.
Python’s exception handling
- Python uses
try-except-finallyblocks to catch and handle exceptions, preventing program crashes and enabling graceful error handling.
