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Jun 6, 2024 · Python bytecode is like a secret language that Python uses behind the scenes. When you write your Python code, it doesn’t run directly. Instead, Python translates your code into bytecode, a set of instructions that the Python interpreter can understand and execute. You may be asking why beginners should care about bytecode.
Jun 6, 2024 · Python bytecode is like a secret language that Python uses behind the scenes. When you write your Python code, it doesn’t run directly. Instead, Python translates your code into bytecode, a set of instructions that the Python interpreter can understand and execute. You may be asking why beginners should care about bytecode.
- How Python Works
- Inside The Python Virtual Machine
- Accessing and Understanding Python Bytecode
- Putting Bytecode to Use
- Further Reading
Python is often described as an interpreted language—one in which your source code is translated into native CPU instructions as the program runs—but this is only partially correct. Python, like many interpreted languages, actually compiles source code to a set of instructions for a virtual machine, and the Python interpreter is an implementation o...
CPython uses a stack-based virtual machine. That is, it's oriented entirely around stack data structures (where you can "push" an item onto the "top" of the structure, or "pop" an item off the "top"). CPython uses three types of stacks: 1. The call stack. This is the main structure of a running Python program. It has one item—a "frame"—for each cur...
If you want to play around with this, the dis module in the Python standard library is a huge help; the dis module provides a "disassembler" for Python bytecode, making it easy to get a human-readable version and look up the various bytecode instructions. The documentation for the dis modulegoes over its contents and provides a full list of bytecod...
Now that you've read this far, you might be thinking "OK, I guess that's cool, but what's the practical value of knowing this?" Setting aside curiosity for curiosity's sake, understanding Python bytecode is useful in a few ways. First, understanding Python's execution model helps you reason about your code. People like to joke about C being a kind ...
If you'd like to learn more about Python bytecode, the Python virtual machine, and how they work, I recommend these resources: 1. Inside the Python Virtual Machineby Obi Ike-Nwosu is a free online book that does a deep dive into the Python interpreter, explaining in detail how Python actually works. 2. A Python Interpreter Written in Pythonby Allis...
Oct 12, 2020 · Python runs programs by compiling them into bytecode, an instruction set used to drive its interpreter. With the "dis" module, you can disassemble and examin...
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Feb 25, 2024 · Bytecode is the under-the-hood representation of your Python code, a middle-ground between the high-level Python you write and the binary machine code executed by the computer’s processor. When you run a Python script, your code is transformed into this low-level, platform-independent format, which the Python Virtual Machine (PVM) then executes.
Jun 8, 2023 · 2. codeobj. When you create code in Python, the computer must be able to comprehend it and run it. Your code must go through a process known as “compiling” in order for this to happen.
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May 10, 2020 · The instruction stream can then refer to a constant with an index into the lookup table. The same is true for variables stored in the co_varnames field. CPython developers gave us another tool called a disassembler to make inspecting the bytecode easier. Python’s bytecode disassembler lives in the dis module that’s part of the standard library.
