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<section id="extending-and-embedding-the-python-interpreter">
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<span id="extending-index"></span><h1>Extending and Embedding the Python Interpreter<a class="headerlink" href="#extending-and-embedding-the-python-interpreter" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h1>
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<p>This document describes how to write modules in C or C++ to extend the Python
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interpreter with new modules. Those modules can do what Python code does –
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define functions, object types and methods – but also interact with native
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libraries or achieve better performance by avoiding the overhead of an
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interpreter. The document also describes how
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to embed the Python interpreter in another application, for use as an extension
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language. Finally, it shows how to compile and link extension modules so that
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they can be loaded dynamically (at run time) into the interpreter, if the
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underlying operating system supports this feature.</p>
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<p>This document assumes basic knowledge about C and Python. For an informal
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introduction to Python, see <a class="reference internal" href="../tutorial/index.html#tutorial-index"><span class="std std-ref">The Python Tutorial</span></a>. <a class="reference internal" href="../reference/index.html#reference-index"><span class="std std-ref">The Python Language Reference</span></a>
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gives a more formal definition of the language. <a class="reference internal" href="../builtins/index.html#builtins-index"><span class="std std-ref">Python built-ins reference</span></a> documents
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the built-in functions and object types, and <a class="reference internal" href="../library/index.html#library-index"><span class="std std-ref">The Python standard library</span></a> documents the
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modules (both built-in and written in Python) that give the language its wide
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application range.</p>
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<p>For a detailed description of the whole Python/C API, see the separate
|
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<a class="reference internal" href="../c-api/index.html#c-api-index"><span class="std std-ref">Python/C API reference manual</span></a>.</p>
|
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<p>To support extensions, Python’s C API (Application Programmers Interface)
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defines a set of functions, macros and variables that provide access to most
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aspects of the Python run-time system. The Python API is incorporated in a C
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source file by including the header <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">"Python.h"</span></code>.</p>
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<div class="admonition note">
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<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
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<p>The C extension interface is specific to CPython, and extension modules do
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not work on other Python implementations. In many cases, it is possible to
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avoid writing C extensions and preserve portability to other implementations.
|
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For example, if your use case is calling C library functions or system calls,
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you should consider using the <a class="reference internal" href="../library/ctypes.html#module-ctypes" title="ctypes: A foreign function library for Python."><code class="xref py py-mod docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ctypes</span></code></a> module or the <a class="reference external" href="https://cffi.readthedocs.io/">cffi</a> library rather than writing
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custom C code.
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These modules let you write Python code to interface with C code and are more
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portable between implementations of Python than writing and compiling a C
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extension module.</p>
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</div>
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<section id="recommended-third-party-tools">
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<h2>Recommended third party tools<a class="headerlink" href="#recommended-third-party-tools" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
|
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<p>This document only covers the basic tools for creating extensions provided
|
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as part of this version of CPython. Some <a class="reference internal" href="../c-api/intro.html#c-api-tools"><span class="std std-ref">third party tools</span></a> offer both simpler and more sophisticated approaches to creating
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C and C++ extensions for Python.</p>
|
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<p>While this document is aimed at extension authors, it should also be helpful to
|
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the authors of such tools.
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||
For example, the tutorial module can serve as a simple test case for a build
|
||
tool or sample expected output of a code generator.</p>
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</section>
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<section id="c-api-tutorial">
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<h2>C API Tutorial<a class="headerlink" href="#c-api-tutorial" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
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<p>This tutorial describes how to write a simple module in C or C++,
|
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using the Python C API – that is, using the basic tools provided
|
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as part of this version of CPython.</p>
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<ol class="arabic simple">
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<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="first-extension-module.html#first-extension-module"><span class="std std-ref">Your first C API extension module</span></a></p></li>
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<section id="guides-for-intermediate-topics">
|
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<h2>Guides for intermediate topics<a class="headerlink" href="#guides-for-intermediate-topics" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
|
||
<p>This section of the guide covers creating C and C++ extensions without
|
||
assistance from third party tools. It is intended primarily for creators
|
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of those tools, rather than being a recommended way to create your own
|
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C extensions.</p>
|
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<ul class="simple">
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<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="extending.html#extending-intro"><span class="std std-ref">Using the C API: Assorted topics</span></a></p></li>
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<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="newtypes_tutorial.html#defining-new-types"><span class="std std-ref">Defining Extension Types: Tutorial</span></a></p></li>
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<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="newtypes.html#new-types-topics"><span class="std std-ref">Defining Extension Types: Assorted Topics</span></a></p></li>
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<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="building.html#building"><span class="std std-ref">Building C and C++ Extensions</span></a></p></li>
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<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="windows.html#building-on-windows"><span class="std std-ref">Building C and C++ Extensions on Windows</span></a></p></li>
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<section id="embedding-the-cpython-runtime-in-a-larger-application">
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<h2>Embedding the CPython runtime in a larger application<a class="headerlink" href="#embedding-the-cpython-runtime-in-a-larger-application" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
|
||
<p>Sometimes, rather than creating an extension that runs inside the Python
|
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interpreter as the main application, it is desirable to instead embed
|
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the CPython runtime inside a larger application. This section covers
|
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some of the details involved in doing that successfully.</p>
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<ul class="simple">
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<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="embedding.html#embedding"><span class="std std-ref">Embedding Python in Another Application</span></a></p></li>
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<li><a class="reference internal" href="#">Extending and Embedding the Python Interpreter</a><ul>
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<li><a class="reference internal" href="#recommended-third-party-tools">Recommended third party tools</a></li>
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<li><a class="reference internal" href="#embedding-the-cpython-runtime-in-a-larger-application">Embedding the CPython runtime in a larger application</a></li>
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