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Jun 6, 2024 · Python bytecode is the hidden language that makes your Python program run. It’s a lower-level representation of your code that the Python interpreter understands and executes. Bytecode is generated from your source code through a compilation process and stored in .pyc files for faster execution in future runs.
- 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...
Jul 10, 2020 · The execution of the Python program involves 2 Steps: The program is converted into byte code. Byte code is a fixed set of instructions that represent arithmetic, comparison, memory operations, etc. It can run on any operating system and hardware. The byte code instructions are created in the .pyc file.
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.
May 10, 2020 · CPython first translates our source code into an intermediate language before it runs it. We can see the results of this compilation step. Each function has a __code__ attribute(in Python 3) that we can use to get at the virtual machine instructions, constants, and variables used by our showMeByte function: Example:
Jun 8, 2023 · For example, if you have a Python function defined starting from line 10 in your source code file, and you disassemble the bytecode of that function using the Bytecode object, setting first_line ...
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Mar 5, 2020 · The bytecode can be thought of as a series of instructions or a low-level program for the Python interpreter. After version 3.6, Python uses 2 bytes for each instruction. One byte is for the code of that instruction which is called an opcode, and one byte is reserved for its argument which is called the oparg.
