Python is a widely-used programming language that’s known for being beginner-friendly. Created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991, it has become one of the most popular languages in the world.
Python is commonly used for:
- building websites and web applications
- creating desktop software and mobile apps
- data analysis and visualization
- automation and scripting tasks
- artificial intelligence and machine learning
What can you do with Python?
- Python powers backend systems for web applications and handles server-side logic.
- Python automates repetitive tasks and creates efficient workflows for businesses.
- Python interacts with databases, reads data from files, and writes information to storage systems.
- Python processes large datasets and performs statistical calculations.
- Python is flexible enough for both quick experiments and building full-scale production applications.
Why choose Python?
- Python is cross-platform and runs smoothly on Windows, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi, and more.
- Python’s syntax is clean and resembles plain English, making it easy to understand.
- Python requires less code compared to many other languages to accomplish the same tasks.
- Python executes code instantly through its interpreter, which speeds up development and testing.
- Python supports multiple programming styles, including procedural, object-oriented, and functional programming.
Important things to know
- Python 3 is the current standard version and is what most developers use today. Python 2 is now outdated.
- You can write Python in simple text editors or use specialized IDEs like PyCharm, VS Code, Thonny, or Jupyter Notebook for a better coding experience.
- Python has a massive library ecosystem with thousands of packages available through pip for almost any functionality you need.
How Python syntax differs from other languages
- Python emphasizes code readability with a clean structure that borrows concepts from natural language and mathematics.
- Python ends statements with new lines, while languages like Java or C++ use semicolons.
- Python uses indentation (spaces or tabs) to define code blocks, whereas other languages typically use curly braces { } for this purpose.
- This indentation requirement makes Python code visually organized and easier to follow.
print("Hello World")How do we define a function?
def function_name():
print("Hello, World!")Simple Class creation.
class Person:
def method_name(self):
print("Hello!")