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<div class="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="Permalink to this headline">¶</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 not only define new functions
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but also new object types and their methods. 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 Python. For an informal
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introduction to the language, see <a class="reference internal" href="../tutorial/index.html#tutorial-index"><span>The Python Tutorial</span></a>. <a class="reference internal" href="../reference/index.html#reference-index"><span>The Python Language Reference</span></a>
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gives a more formal definition of the language. <a class="reference internal" href="../library/index.html#library-index"><span>The Python Standard Library</span></a> documents
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the existing object types, functions and modules (both built-in and written in
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Python) that give the language its wide 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>Python/C API Reference Manual</span></a>.</p>
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<div class="section" id="recommended-third-party-tools">
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<h2>Recommended third party tools<a class="headerlink" href="#recommended-third-party-tools" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
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<p>This guide only covers the basic tools for creating extensions provided
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as part of this version of CPython. Third party tools like Cython,
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<code class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">cffi</span></code>, SWIG and Numba offer both simpler and more sophisticated
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approaches to creating C and C++ extensions for Python.</p>
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<div class="admonition seealso">
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<p class="first admonition-title">See also</p>
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<dl class="last docutils">
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<dt><a class="reference external" href="https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/extensions.html">Python Packaging User Guide: Binary Extensions</a></dt>
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<dd>The Python Packaging User Guide not only covers several available
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tools that simplify the creation of binary extensions, but also
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discusses the various reasons why creating an extension module may be
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desirable in the first place.</dd>
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<div class="section" id="creating-extensions-without-third-party-tools">
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<h2>Creating extensions without third party tools<a class="headerlink" href="#creating-extensions-without-third-party-tools" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
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<p>This section of the guide covers creating C and C++ extensions without
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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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<div class="toctree-wrapper compound">
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<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="extending.html">1. Extending Python with C or C++</a><ul>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="extending.html#a-simple-example">1.1. A Simple Example</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="extending.html#intermezzo-errors-and-exceptions">1.2. Intermezzo: Errors and Exceptions</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="extending.html#back-to-the-example">1.3. Back to the Example</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="extending.html#the-module-s-method-table-and-initialization-function">1.4. The Module’s Method Table and Initialization Function</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="extending.html#compilation-and-linkage">1.5. Compilation and Linkage</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="extending.html#calling-python-functions-from-c">1.6. Calling Python Functions from C</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="extending.html#extracting-parameters-in-extension-functions">1.7. Extracting Parameters in Extension Functions</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="extending.html#keyword-parameters-for-extension-functions">1.8. Keyword Parameters for Extension Functions</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="extending.html#building-arbitrary-values">1.9. Building Arbitrary Values</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="extending.html#reference-counts">1.10. Reference Counts</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="extending.html#writing-extensions-in-c">1.11. Writing Extensions in C++</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="extending.html#providing-a-c-api-for-an-extension-module">1.12. Providing a C API for an Extension Module</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="newtypes.html">2. Defining New Types</a><ul>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="newtypes.html#the-basics">2.1. The Basics</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="newtypes.html#type-methods">2.2. Type Methods</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="building.html">3. Building C and C++ Extensions</a><ul>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="building.html#building-c-and-c-extensions-with-distutils">3.1. Building C and C++ Extensions with distutils</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="building.html#distributing-your-extension-modules">3.2. Distributing your extension modules</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="windows.html">4. Building C and C++ Extensions on Windows</a><ul>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="windows.html#a-cookbook-approach">4.1. A Cookbook Approach</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="windows.html#differences-between-unix-and-windows">4.2. Differences Between Unix and Windows</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="windows.html#using-dlls-in-practice">4.3. Using DLLs in Practice</a></li>
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<div class="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="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
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<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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<div class="toctree-wrapper compound">
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<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="embedding.html">1. Embedding Python in Another Application</a><ul>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="embedding.html#very-high-level-embedding">1.1. Very High Level Embedding</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="embedding.html#beyond-very-high-level-embedding-an-overview">1.2. Beyond Very High Level Embedding: An overview</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="embedding.html#pure-embedding">1.3. Pure Embedding</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="embedding.html#extending-embedded-python">1.4. Extending Embedded Python</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="embedding.html#embedding-python-in-c">1.5. Embedding Python in C++</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="embedding.html#compiling-and-linking-under-unix-like-systems">1.6. Compiling and Linking under Unix-like systems</a></li>
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<h3><a href="../contents.html">Table Of Contents</a></h3>
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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="#creating-extensions-without-third-party-tools">Creating extensions without 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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<h4>Previous topic</h4>
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title="previous chapter">37. Undocumented Modules</a></p>
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