Python is super accessible to learn because Python Interpreters exist online without having to ensure you have the correct version of Python installed on your machine. In this article, we talk about what the Python Interpreter is and list some of the more popular, beginner-friendly interpreters available to use online.
How is a Python Program Executed?
Python, like Java, cannot be completely classified as an interpreted language nor a compiled language. It’s a little of both.
Being compiled in this instance means being translated to a lower level language not dependent on any one type of platform. Unlike Java or C, we don’t specifically run a compilation command for Python. We invoke the script with a command like python3 hello_world.py, where “hello_world.py” is the name of our file and it executes. Where does it go from there?
In Python, compilation occurs as needed – and only if it’s needed. Comparable to Java, Python turns into an intermediary code called bytecode. This is the code to be read by the interpreter in the Python Virtual Machine. This translates the code so that your machine can read it.
Python Interpreters to Use That Are Great for Beginners
The following is a list of some of the available online environments/sandboxes where you create a project using Python. This is not an exhaustive list, but it gets you started.
Repl.it
Repl.it is a user-friendly Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that helps you create projects in Python and many other languages available to code in. All you have to do is create your file and hit run to have it interpreted for you. When you create a new Python repl, click on “examples to get started” to play with some sample programs.
Python Tutor
Python Tutor is a free tool that helps you to visualize your code snippets in steps. It’s a great tool to help you get through the fundamentals of Python and working through bugs, but is not suitable for a full-blown project. This interpreter works for Python code, of course, but also a few other choice languages, too. It’s helpful to visualize the walk through of how the code works.
Ideone
The interesting thing about Ideone.com is it feels like it has a coding environment like Hackerrank, Leetcode, or Visual Studio Code. This is a great IDE to test smaller snippets of code to see if it works. It doesn’t seem to have the ability at this moment to do a full scale multi-file or multi-folder project.In this article, we’ve looked at how Python is interpreted and a handful of online resources to write in Python and run it. You’re ready to get started on your journey to become a Python Developer or Data Scientist!
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