The sixth article in our series about programming languages is dedicated to Python. It was prepared by the server development group of the Kryptonite company. In the review you will find the features, pros and cons of Python, areas of its application and useful links for learning.
Previously, our developers did reviews Rust , Scala , JavaScript , Spark And Golang .
1. Features
Python is a high-level programming language. Thanks to its clear syntax, its code is clear and easy to read. Python is often called "executable pseudocode" because it allows you to write code faster than other languages.
Python supports several programming styles - you can choose the most suitable one depending on your tasks. For example, if you need to model a complex system, it is more convenient to use object-oriented programming. And if we work with data, then functional will be preferable.
Python finds application in various industries. For example, it can be used to automate tasks, develop web applications using Django, analyze data using pandas and NumPy libraries.
2. Where is it used?
As I said above, Python is suitable for solving problems in completely different areas. For example, it is impressive in web development - frameworks such as Django, Flask and FastAPI make web application development easier and more efficient. Django offers everything we need right out of the box to build complex websites, including integrated admin support and security. Flask gives you more flexibility and ease of customization. FastAPI is distinguished by its performance and support for asynchronous requests, which speeds up development and integration with other systems.
In the field of scientific research and data analytics, Python has a huge number of popular libraries and frameworks. The most commonly used libraries are NumPy, pandas, SciPy, Matplotlib, Seaborn and Scikit-learn for various calculations, data analysis, visualization and machine learning. These tools, together with IPython and Jupyter Notebook, provide a powerful research environment.
Python is a leader in both machine learning and artificial intelligence. Libraries TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras, OpenCV, NLTK and spaCy help develop algorithms and train neural networks for tasks such as speech recognition, computer vision and text analysis.
And of course, Python is great for automation and data science. Python developers can write scripts to automate tasks, use libraries like pandas and Dask for data analysis and processing, and tools like Luigi and Apache Airflow for organizing workflows.
The Kryptonite team primarily uses Python as a classic backend for interaction between services and rapid API development.
3. Pros and cons
Readability and simplicity: One of the key advantages of Python is its clean and intuitive syntax. This makes Python a great choice for both beginners and experienced developers. The code on it is easy to read, which reduces cognitive load and speeds up development.
Multifunctionality and standard library: Python offers an extensive standard library covering various areas of programming, ranging from web development to scientific computing. This reduces the need to use external libraries and speeds up application development. Python also provides a wide range of built-in tools, allowing developers to cover various aspects of programming.
Execution speed: Python has been criticized for being slow compared to some compiled languages, such as C++ or Java. This is due to its interpreted nature and dynamic typing.
Memory management: Python uses automatic memory management, which sometimes results in less efficient memory usage and garbage collection, especially in compute-intensive or data-intensive applications. This requires additional effort to optimize memory usage.
Mobile development: Python is not the best choice for mobile development due to its performance and lack of support at the operating system level (iOS and Android). While there are tools (such as Kivy) for creating mobile apps in Python, they are not as widespread as the alternatives.
4. Community
According to statistics Python is one of the most popular programming languages in the world. It has a large active community, having attracted a huge number of developers from the very beginning.
Here are important links to help you find answers to questions at all experience levels:
official documentation : extensive and well-structured, with manuals and reference materials;
forum Stack Overflow ;
communities in Discord And Telegram ;
conferences PyCon , EuroPython .
Often, community members initiate Python Improvement Proposals (PEPs), making the language not only a powerful tool for programmers, but also an ever-evolving platform ready to adapt to new challenges and demands of the technological world.
5. Educational projects
There are many free resources on the Internet for learning Python: official documentation , interactive platforms Codecademy , MOOCs And edX .
Using these resources, you can try to make your own project. For example, write a web application in Python using Flask or Django. One of my first applications was automating the creation of decks for learning English.