What is Python and what is it used for?

Evan Stern

•January 13, 2023•13 min

What is python and what is it used for?

Python is a high-level, general-purpose programming language that is widely used in various industries and fields, such as data science, artificial intelligence, web development, and more. It is known for its simplicity, readability, and flexibility, which make it a popular choice for beginners and experienced developers alike.

In this article, we will explore what Python is and what it is used for, as well as provide some code examples and go into depth about each use case.

What other programming languages are there?

There are too many other programming languages in the world to go into any significant depth on them all. The best choice depends on the specific needs and preferences of the developer. Some of the most popular programming languages include:

• Java: Java is a popular choice for a wide range of purposes, including web development, mobile development, and enterprise applications. It is a compiled language that is known for its strong typing and object-oriented principles.
• C++: C++ is a popular choice for low-level programming tasks, such as operating systems, drivers, and games. It is a compiled language that is known for its performance and efficiency.
• C#: C# is a popular choice for building Windows applications and games, as it is supported by the .NET framework. It is a compiled language that is known for its strong typing and object-oriented principles.
• JavaScript*: JavaScript is a popular choice for web development, as it is the primary language used for building web applications and interactive elements on the web. It is supported by a wide range of libraries and frameworks, such as React and Angular.

It's a trap to think that any one of these other programming languages is inherently "better" than another in all ways. However, it's worth noting that Python is consistently considered one of the most popular languages. It's the equal of the above examples in many ways.

As we continue, we'll discuss Python and learn more about why it has become so popular.

What is Python?

Python is an interpreted, object-oriented, high-level programming language that was first released in 1991 by Guido van Rossum. It is an open-source language, which means that anyone can contribute to its development and use it for free.

Python is based on the C programming language, but it is easier to learn and use, thanks to its clear and concise syntax. It uses indentation to define blocks of code, which makes it easier to read and understand.

Python is a versatile language that can be used for a wide range of purposes, such as:

• Web development
• Data analysis and visualization
• Scientific and numerical computing
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning
• Game development
• Desktop applications

Python is supported by a large and active community of developers, which makes it easy to find resources and support when needed.

Why is Python one of the most popular programming languages?

According to the TIOBE Index, which measures the popularity of programming languages, Python ranked as the third most popular language in 2021, with a market share of 8.6%.

Python has consistently ranked as one of the top languages in terms of market share in recent years.

Python is one of the most popular programming languages for a few reasons:

• Simplicity and Readability: Python is known for its simple and readable syntax, which makes it easy to learn and understand, even for beginners. Its code is organized into blocks using indentation, which makes it easier to read and maintain.
• Versatility: Python is a versatile language that can be used for a wide range of purposes, such as web development, data analysis, scientific computing, artificial intelligence, game development, and more. This makes it a great choice for developers who want to work in different fields or industries.
• Strong Community: Python has a large and active community of developers, who contribute to its development and provide resources and support for users. This makes it easy to find help and resources when needed.
• Popularity: Python is widely used by companies and organizations in various industries, such as finance, data science, and artificial intelligence. This has contributed to its popularity and made it a sought-after skill for developers.
• Libraries and Frameworks: Python has a wide range of libraries and frameworks that make it easier to develop applications and perform tasks, such as NumPy for scientific computing, Pandas for data analysis, and Django for web development.

Overall, Python's simplicity, versatility, strong community, popularity, and the availability of libraries and frameworks make it a popular choice for developers around the world.

Python is taught in schools

Python is being taught in schools as a programming language and is becoming increasingly popular for use in educational settings. Python is easy to learn and does a lot, so it makes sense that schools have adopted it.

Python is being used in schools at all levels, from elementary school to college, for a wide range of purposes, such as:

• Introducing students to programming: Python is a great language for introducing students to programming, as its simple syntax and clear structure make it easy to understand and learn.
• Teaching computer science principles: Python is a powerful language that is used in various fields, such as data science, artificial intelligence, and web development. This makes it a great choice for teaching computer science principles and concepts to students.
• Creating educational tools and resources: Python is a popular choice for creating educational tools and resources, such as simulations, games, and interactive exercises, which can help students learn and engage with course material.

Because Python is already known by so many younger developers, it continues to increase in popularity when compared to other languages.

Who uses Python?

Python is a popular language that is used by companies and organizations around the world to build a wide range of software applications. Here are some well-known examples of software that are written in Python:

• Google: Google uses Python extensively in its web search and advertising systems, as well as in other internal projects.
• Instagram: Instagram is a popular social media platform that is built using Python, as well as other technologies, such as Django and Cassandra.
• Netflix: Netflix uses Python for tasks such as data analysis and machine learning, as well as for building and deploying microservices.
• Dropbox: Dropbox is a popular file storage and sharing service that is built using Python, as well as other technologies, such as Cassandra and Memcached.
• Spotify: Spotify is a popular music streaming service that uses Python for tasks such as data analysis and machine learning.

These are just a few examples of well-known software applications that are built using Python, which demonstrates the versatility and popularity of the language in the software industry.

What is Python used for?

Web Development

Python is a popular choice for web development, thanks to its simplicity and the availability of powerful libraries and web frameworks, such as Django and Flask.

Examples

For example, to create a simple web server using Python, we can use the following code:

import http.server
import socketserver

PORT = 8000

Handler = http.server.SimpleHTTPRequestHandler

with socketserver.TCPServer(("", PORT), Handler) as httpd:
    print("serving at port", PORT)
    httpd.serve_forever()

This code will create a web server that listens on port 8000 and serves the current directory as a website.

Using the Python library, Flask, we can do the same thing like this:

from flask import Flask

# Create the Flask app
app = Flask(__name__)

# Define a route for the home page
@app.route("/")
def home():
    return "Welcome to the home page!"

# Run the app
if __name__ == "__main__":
    app.run()

This code creates a Flask app and defines a route for the home page using the @app.route decorator. When the app is run, the home page will be available at http://localhost:5000/.

To add more routes and functionality to the app, we can define additional routes and functions using the @app.route decorator, and use the Flask API to handle requests and responses.

Overall, this is a simple example of how to create a web server in Flask, which is a popular Python framework for web development.

Let's do a little side-by-side comparison and see what it looks like to do something very similar to the above example in Java. This might illustrate the simplicity of Python.

In Java, one might create a web server like this:

import java.io.*;
import java.net.*;

public class SimpleWebServer {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
        int port = 8000;
        ServerSocket server = new ServerSocket(port);

        System.out.println("Listening for connections on port " + port);

        while (true) {
            Socket client = server.accept();

            System.out.println("Connection from " + client.getInetAddress().getHostAddress());

            BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(client.getInputStream()));
            PrintWriter out = new PrintWriter(client.getOutputStream(), true);

            String request = in.readLine();

            if (request != null) {
                System.out.println("Request: " + request);
                out.println("HTTP/1.1 200 OK");
                out.println("Content-Type: text/html");
                out.println("");
                out.println("<h1>Hello World!</h1>");
            }

            client.close();
        }
    }
}

This code will create a web server that listens on port 8000 and serves a simple "Hello World" message to the client.

There are a few main differences between Python and Java for web development:

• Syntax: As mentioned before, Python is known for its simple and readable syntax, while Java has a more verbose syntax that follows object-oriented principles.
• Frameworks: Python has a wide range of frameworks for web development, such as Django and Flask, which provide powerful features and make it easier to develop web applications. Java also has a wide range of frameworks, such as Spring and JSF, which offer similar features and benefits.
• Execution: Python is an interpreted language, which means that the code is executed as it is written. Java is a compiled language, which means that the code is first compiled into bytecode, and then executed by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

Overall, both Python and Java are popular choices for web development, and which one is the best choice depends on the specific needs and preferences of the developer.

Data Analysis and Visualization

Python is a popular choice for data analysis and visualization, thanks to its powerful libraries and frameworks, such as NumPy, Pandas, and Matplotlib.

Examples

To load and analyze a CSV file using Python using Pandas, we can use the following code:

import pandas as pd

df = pd.read_csv("data.csv")

print(df.describe())

This code will load the data from the "data.csv" file into a Pandas DataFrame, and print a summary of the data, including the mean, median, and standard deviation of each column.

Here is an example of using Matplotlib for data analysis and visualization in Python:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Generate some sample data
x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = [1, 4, 9, 16, 25]

# Create a scatter plot
plt.scatter(x, y)

# Add labels and title
plt.xlabel("X values")
plt.ylabel("Y values")
plt.title("Sample Scatter Plot")

# Show the plot
plt.show()

This code will generate a scatter plot of the sample data using the scatter function, add labels and a title using the xlabel, ylabel, and title functions, and show the plot using the show function.

Scientific and Numerical Computing

Python is a popular choice by data scientists for scientific and numerical computing, thanks to its powerful libraries and frameworks, such as NumPy and SciPy.

Examples

To solve a linear equation using Python using the NumPy library, we can use the following code:

import numpy as np

A = np.array([[1, 2], [3, 4]])
b = np.array([5, 6])

x = np.linalg.solve(A, b)

print(x)

This code will solve the linear equation "Ax = b" and print the solution "x".

Here is an example of using SciPy for numerical computing in Python:

import scipy as sp

# Generate some sample data
x = sp.linspace(0, 10, 100)
y = sp.sin(x)

# Fit a polynomial curve to the data
coeffs = sp.polyfit(x, y, 3)
y_fit = sp.polyval(coeffs, x)

# Calculate the root mean squared error
rmse = sp.sqrt(sp.mean((y - y_fit) ** 2))

print("Root Mean Squared Error:", rmse)

This code will generate some sample data, fit a polynomial curve to the data using the polyfit function, and calculate the root mean squared error (RMSE) between the original data and the fitted curve using the polyval and sqrt functions.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Python is a popular choice for artificial intelligence and machine learning, thanks to its powerful libraries and frameworks, such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, and scikit-learn.

Examples

To train a simple neural network using Python using TensorFlow, we can use the following code:

import tensorflow as tf

model = tf.keras.Sequential([
    tf.keras.layers.Dense(units=10, input_shape=[8]),
    tf.keras.layers.Dense(units=1)
])

model.compile(optimizer=tf.keras.optimizers.SGD(learning_rate=0.01), loss='mean_squared_error')

history = model.fit(x_train, y_train, epochs=100)

This code will define a simple neural network with one hidden layer of 10 units, and train it using stochastic gradient descent with a learning rate of 0.01.

Game Development

Python is a popular choice for game development, thanks to its simplicity and the availability of powerful libraries and frameworks, such as Pygame.

Examples

To create a simple game using Python using Pygame, we can use the following code:

import pygame

pygame.init()

screen = pygame.display.set_mode((400, 300))

running = True
while running:
    for event in pygame.event.get():
        if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
            running = False

    pygame.display.update()

pygame.quit()

This code will create a simple game window and run a loop to update the display and handle events.

Desktop Applications

Python is a popular choice for desktop applications, thanks to its simplicity and the availability of powerful libraries and frameworks, such as PyQt and PyGTK.

Examples

To create a simple desktop application using Python, we can use the following code:

import PyQt5.QtWidgets as QtWidgets

app = QtWidgets.QApplication([])

window = QtWidgets.QMainWindow()
window.setWindowTitle("My App")
window.show()

app.exec_()

This code will create a simple desktop application with a main window, and run the application event loop.

What is Python NOT used for?

While Python is a versatile language that can be used for a wide range of purposes, there are some areas where it is not typically used. Here are some examples of what Python is not commonly used for:

• Low-level programming tasks: Python is not typically used for low-level programming tasks, such as operating systems, drivers, and games, as it is an interpreted language that is not as fast or efficient as compiled languages, such as C++ or C.
• Mobile development: Python is not commonly used for mobile development, as it is not natively supported on most mobile platforms. While there are libraries and frameworks, such as Kivy, that allow developers to build mobile applications using Python, these applications tend to be slower and less efficient than native applications.
• Hardware programming: Python is not typically used for programming hardware, such as microcontrollers or sensors, as it is not as fast or efficient as languages that are designed specifically for these purposes, such as C or Assembly.

So, while Python is a versatile language that can be used for a wide range of purposes, it is not typically used for low-level programming tasks, mobile development, or hardware programming.

Conclusion

Python is a versatile and popular programming language that is widely used in various industries and fields, such as web development, data analysis, scientific computing, artificial intelligence, game development, and desktop applications. Its simplicity, readability, and flexibility make it a great choice for beginners and experienced developers alike.

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