Best Python Compilers for Python Developers

In this tutorial, we will learn about Python Compilers. So let’s start!!!

What are Python Compilers?

The Python compiler package is a basic tool for analyzing Python source code and generating Python bytecode, containing libraries to generate an abstract syntax from Python source code and then to generate Python bytecode.

The compiler is a Python source to bytecode translator written in Python. It generally uses the built-in parser and standard parser module to generate a concrete syntax tree. And then, this tree is to generate an abstract syntax tree (which is also called AST) and then Python bytecode.

What is Python Compilers’ full functionality?

The full functionality duplicates the built-in compiler provided with the Python interpreter. It is intended to match its behavior exactly. But yeah, a few errors are always neglected.

Moreover, the package is useful for a variety of purposes. It can be modified more easily than the built-in compiler. The AST it generates is useful for analyzing Python source code.

Important Online Python Compilers

1. Brython

Brython is an extremely popular Python compiler that converts Python code into JavaScript code. It’s a contraction for Browser Python. It boasts wide functionality ranging from creating simple document elements and dragging and dropping to 3D navigation.

This Python compiler performs much better in the Firefox platform than in Google Chrome. Brython provides support for all modern browsers, and also for mobile web browsers.

2. Nuitka

A source-to-source Python compiler, Nuitka intakes Python code and compiles it into C/C++ source code or executables code. It is possible to use Nuitka for developing standalone(dynamic) programs even when you are not running Python on your machine.

Nuitka is available with Anaconda for those preferring it for developing projects involving data science and machine learning and AI-related work also.

3. PyJS

For the ones looking to write Python code and execute it in web browsers, PyJS is one of the best options. The PyJS compiler translates Python code into equivalent JavaScript code so that it can execute inside a web browser besides doing side coding.

An important aspect of PyJS is that it comes with an AJAX framework that fills the gaps left between JS and DOM support available for different web browsers.

In order to generate equivalent JS code, PyJS leverages Python’s abstract syntax tree. It is possible to run a Python web application source code as a standalone desktop application (that runs under Python) using the PyJS Desktop module. Interestingly, Several Unix systems feature preinstalled PyJS and PyJS Desktop versions.

4. Shed Skin

Another popular Python compiler is Shed Skin. It basically converts a statically typed Python program into an equivalent or pure C++ program. Statically Typed means that the variables in use should only infer a single data type.

Shed Skin doesn’t provide support for some common features, as using nested functions and defining functions that accept a varying number of arguments. Only a few standard Python library functions are available to use with Shed Skin.

As an experimental compiler program, Shed Skin offers to translate statically typed Python programs into optimized C++ code with several limitations and working processes. But Shed Skin isn’t able to scale well beyond more than a few thousand lines of code.

5. Transcrypt

Another popular Python compiler is Transcrypt. It allows compiling a fairly extensive subset of Python into a compact, readable, and easy to debug JavaScript code with fairly easy instructions. The Python compiler follows a simplistic and powerful syntax without requiring any additional extensions or any further added codes.

Transcrypt pre-compiles to fast, readable JS code that can be debugged from the Python source code using sourcemaps. The lightweight Python compiler provides support for slicing with [i:j:k] matrix and vector operations with +, -, *, and / operators (algebraic operators).

A linter, a minifier, and static type validator come built-in with Transcrypt for code execution. The Python compiler has better team cooperation working on full-scale projects. Additionally, in offering seamless access to any JS library, Transcrypt also has the ability to run on top of Node.js.

6. CPython

It is the default and most widely-used implementation of Python and is written in C. This is an interpreter and has a foreign function interface with languages such as C.

Each CPython interpreter for Python, uses a GIL (Global Interpreter Lock). This may serve as a limitation as it disables concurrent Python threads for a process.

7. ActivePython

ActivePython is a Python distribution from ActiveState. It makes installation easy and cross-platform compatibility simply possible. Apart from the standard libraries, it has different modules.

Conclusion

Finally, we come to the end of our not so theoretically interesting article of Python Compilers. The list does not end here. We have so much more to learn as it’s well said in programming, the more a programmer knows, the better it is.