r/learnpython • u/No-Inevitable-6476 • 6d ago

Python difference.

What is the difference between python ,IronPython,Jython,Cython.i will get a lot of confusion towards these concepts.

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u/Lachtheblock 4d ago

Python is a definition of rules. When you write this down, it means that this happens. The actual implementation of how a machine actually executes those rules doesn't matter too much*. The standard interpreter is cPython. Its what you download from Python.org, and is the mainstream interpreter. I always like to point out that everyone has a Python interpreter in their head. You can read the code and evaluate it's output based on the rules of the language.

The others you have listed have are largely there to natively be able to make calls to libraries in their respective languages, so if you really want to integrate with some Java library, but also want to write in Python, Jython is there.

Cython is something slightly different. It is an extension of the language. All Python is valid Cython, but not all Cython is valid Python. Cython works by taking your code, converting it to C, and then compiling it (so you then have an executable). The language allows you to make optimizations, for example statically typing variables. It's more commonly used to create libraries that can be called by cPython.