Python Compilers – Importance, Working and Types

A Compiler is a program that converts source code from one language to another language. In this article, we will discuss compilers, their roles, and the several types of compilers that are available for us to use.

Python Compilers and their Importance

Python is a high-level programming language. The code we write in Python is easily understandable to us but not to computers. Since computers can’t understand, they can’t execute the code. Hence we need to translate our code in Python to something a computer can understand and execute, machine language. So we created a program that can translate our source code to an executable code and the program is called a Compiler.

Usually, for languages such as C, and C++, compilers translate directly to machine language but for languages such as Java and Python, compilers translate to an intermediary language called byte code. We later use an interpreter to further translate the byte code to machine language. This is why Python is called an Interpreted language. Without compilers, the code we write will never be executed and will always be just a code.

Working of Compilers in Python

A lot of processes happen between pressing the run button on our IDEs and getting the output, and half of that process involves the working of compilers.

1. When we run a Python file (.py), the compiler starts reading the file.

2. The compiler reads the file and checks for errors.

3. If an error is found, the compiler stops and displays an error message.

4. If no errors are found, then it translates the Python code to Byte code.

5. The byte code is stored in a file with .pyc or .pyo or .pyd format.

6. The Python Virtual Machine (PVM) receives the Byte code file.

7. PVM is an interpreter. It reads and checks the file for errors.

8. If no error is found, the interpreter stops and displays an error message.

9. If no errors are found, then it translates the Byte code to Binary code.

10. Binary code which is also called Machine language is an executable language.

11. Finally, the computer reads the binary code and executes the program.

Types of Python Compilers

1. Cython

Cython is a C language-based compiler written in Python and C. It is the default compiler for Python.

Advantages of Cython

• It is the most widely used compiler.
• It is the most portable compiler.
• Access to external C libraries.

Disadvantages of Cython

• It is slower compared to PyPy.

2. Jython

Jython is a Java-based compiler written in Python and Java. Unlike Cython, it compiles to a .class file and can be used with Java Virtual Machine. Jim Hugunin developed it in 1997 and released it on January 2001

Advantages of Jython

• It can be used with Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
• Access to most Java libraries.

Disadvantages of Jython

• It is slower compared to Cython.
• It is not compatible with Cython libraries.

3. PyPy

Armin Rigo developed PyPy using only Python programming language to replace the default compiler, Cython and released it in 2007.

Advantages of PyPy

• It uses the Just-in-time compilation.
• PyPy is around seven times faster than Cython.
• It has comparatively lesser memory consumption.
• It supports stackless Python.

Disadvantages of PyPy

• Often incompatible with C libraries.
• It doesn’t fully support Python3.
• Limited compatibility.

4. IronPython

Jim Hugunin developed the IronPython using the language C# to integrate Python code with the .Net framework, and Mono and released it in September 2006.

Advantages of IronPython

• We can easily integrate Python with .NET using IronPython.
• Access to all .NET libraries.
• We can use IronPython as a scripting language.

Disadvantages of IronPython

• Few performance issues.
• Lacks basic support.
• Incompatible with a large number of Python libraries.
• It still does not support Python3.

5. ActivePython

It is a commercial-grade compiler developed by ActiveState. It is available to download on Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Advantages of ActivePython

• Almost all platforms support ActivePython.
• Access to additional libraries.

Disadvantages of ActivePython

• It is proprietary software and can require subscriptions or payments.
• Need to pay to download previous versions.

6. PyJS

PyJS is a compiler created to integrate Python code with the JavaScript language. James Tauber developed the PyJS using the Python programming language and JavaScript and released it to the public in March 2007.

Advantages of PyJS

• We can create great web applications and desktop applications using PyJS.
• We can embed JS code into Python code using PyJS.

Disadvantages of PyJS

•  Not many use cases.

7. Nuitka

Nuitka compiles the Python code to C or C++. It is a source-to-source compiler. The initial release was on July 30th, 2019. It is written in Python and C and has the Apache License 2. The latest stable release was on May 4th, 2021.

Advantages of Nuitka

• It is comparatively faster than CPython.
• No need to install a Python version.

Disadvantages of Nuitka

• It is comparatively slower than PyPy.

8. Stackless

As the name suggests, Stackless completely avoids depending on the C call stack. Anselm Kruis developed it in Python and C. It is available to download on Windows and Linux.

Advantages of Stackless

• It supports micro threads and threads.
• It also supports coroutines, task serialization, and communication channels.

Disadvantages of Stackless

• It is not widely used.

9. Brython

Brython allows Python3 to run in the browsers. The aim of Brython is to enable developers to use Python’s cleaner and efficient syntax to replace JavaScript for creating web pages.

Advantages of Brython

• All modern browsers including smartphone browsers support Brython.
• It supports Python3 syntax.
• Access to JavaScript libraries.

Disadvantages of Brython

• Brython performs comparatively slower than JavaScript.

10. ShedSkin

ShedSkin compiles Python code into C++. It is an experimental compiler. ShedSkin is available to download on Windows, Linux, and MacOS X.

Advantages of ShedSkin

• We can create small Python modules or programs.
• It is comparatively faster than Cython.

Disadvantages of ShedSkin

• Only supports Python 2.4 to Python 2.6 versions.
• Only supports statically typed code.
• It does not support Python’s dynamic features.

11. WinPython

WinPython is an exclusive compiler made only for the Windows operating systems. The main aim of the compiler is to replace Cython for Windows users. It was released in December 2013.

Advantages of WinPython

• It has several exclusive features specifically designed for scientists.

Disadvantages of WinPython

• It is not available for other operating systems such as Linux and MacOS.

12. Transcrypt

Transcrypt pre-compiles Python code into JavaScript code. It gives developers the ability to completely code in Python and replace the JavaScript.

Advantages of Transcrypt

• Debugging is comparatively easier.

Disadvantages of Transcrypt

• Relatively slower than PyPy.
• Not recommended for large projects.

13. Skulpt

Skulpt compiles Python into JavaScript. This allows skulpt to run Python programs completely in the browser. Unlike other web compilers, skulpt does not have a built-in DOM manipulation system.

Advantages of Skulpt

• We can create Python programming environments in the webpages using Skulpt.
• Ability to create our own DOM manipulation system.

Disadvantages of Skulpt

• Skulpt does not support a few Python features.
• Debugging is comparatively harder.

Practice Questions on Python Compilers

Q1. What is the extension of the file generated by a compiler?

Ans 1. A compiler generates a file with extensions .pyc, .pyo and .pyd

Q2. Jython creates a file with what extension?

Ans 2. Jython creates a file with a .class extension.

Q3. Which compiler uses Just-in-time compilations?

Ans 3. PyPy uses Just-in-time compilation.

Q4. To what languages does a Python compiler translate?

Ans 4. Python compiler translates to Byte code.

Q5. Which compiler creates a file that can be later used for JVM?

Ans 5. Jython creates a .class file which can be later interpreted with JVM.

Python Compilers Quiz

Conclusion

In this article, we learned about compilers and their importance. We discussed the pros and cons of the most popular types of compilers.