CPython Internals: Your Guide to the Python 3 Interpreter

Get your guided tour through the Python 3.9 interpreter: Unlock the inner workings of the Python language, compile the Python interpreter from source code, and participate in the development of CPython.

Are there certain parts of Python that just seem like magic?

This book explains the concepts, ideas, and technicalities of the Python interpreter in an approachable and hands-on fashion.

Once you see how Python works at the interpreter level, you can optimize your applications and fully leverage the power of Python.

By the End of the Book You’ll Be Able To:

• Read and navigate the CPython 3.9 interpreter source code. You’ll deeply comprehend and appreciate the inner workings of concepts like lists, dictionaries, and generators.
• Make changes to the Python syntax and compile your own version of CPython, from scratch. You’ll customize the Python core data types with new functionality and run CPython’s automated test suite.
• Master Python’s memory management capabilities and scale your Python code with parallelism and concurrency.
• Debug C and Python code like a true professional. Profile and benchmark the performance of your Python code and the runtime.
• Participate in the development of CPython and know how to contribute to future versions of the Python interpreter and standard library. How great would it feel to give back to the community as a “Python Core Developer?”

With this book you’ll cover the critical concepts behind the internals of CPython and how they work with visual explanations as you go along.

Each page in the book has been carefully laid out with beautiful typography, syntax highlighting for code examples.

About the Author:

Anthony Shaw is a CPython contributor and a PyCon speaker. He has a B.Sc. in Computer Science and over 8 years of experience working with Python. Anthony is also a Fellow of the Python Software Foundation and member of the Open-Source Apache Foundation.

What Python Developers Say About The Book:

“It’s the book that I wish existed years ago when I started my Python journey. [...] After reading this book your skills will grow and you will be able solve even more complex problems that can improve our world.”

— Carol Willing, CPython Core Developer & Member of the CPython Steering Council

“CPython Internals is a great (and unique) resource for anybody looking to take their knowledge of Python to a deeper level.”

— Dan Bader, Author of Python Tricks

“There are a ton of books on Python which teach the language, but I haven’t really come across anything that would go about explaining the internals to those curious minded.”

— Milan Patel, Vice President at (a major investment bank)

“I can recommend CPython Internals to anyone who wants to get going with hacking on CPython.”

— Guido van Rossum, Creator of Python