1 .. _extending-index: 2 3 ################################################## 4 Extending and Embedding the Python Interpreter 5 ################################################## 6 7 This document describes how to write modules in C or C++ to extend the Python 8 interpreter with new modules. Those modules can not only define new functions 9 but also new object types and their methods. The document also describes how 10 to embed the Python interpreter in another application, for use as an extension 11 language. Finally, it shows how to compile and link extension modules so that 12 they can be loaded dynamically (at run time) into the interpreter, if the 13 underlying operating system supports this feature. 14 15 This document assumes basic knowledge about Python. For an informal 16 introduction to the language, see :ref:`tutorial-index`. :ref:`reference-index` 17 gives a more formal definition of the language. :ref:`library-index` documents 18 the existing object types, functions and modules (both built-in and written in 19 Python) that give the language its wide application range. 20 21 For a detailed description of the whole Python/C API, see the separate 22 :ref:`c-api-index`. 23 24 25 Recommended third party tools 26 ============================= 27 28 This guide only covers the basic tools for creating extensions provided 29 as part of this version of CPython. Third party tools like 30 `Cython <http://cython.org/>`_, `cffi <https://cffi.readthedocs.io>`_, 31 `SWIG <http://www.swig.org>`_ and `Numba <https://numba.pydata.org/>`_ 32 offer both simpler and more sophisticated approaches to creating C and C++ 33 extensions for Python. 34 35 .. seealso:: 36 37 `Python Packaging User Guide: Binary Extensions <https://packaging.python.org/guides/packaging-binary-extensions/>`_ 38 The Python Packaging User Guide not only covers several available 39 tools that simplify the creation of binary extensions, but also 40 discusses the various reasons why creating an extension module may be 41 desirable in the first place. 42 43 44 Creating extensions without third party tools 45 ============================================= 46 47 This section of the guide covers creating C and C++ extensions without 48 assistance from third party tools. It is intended primarily for creators 49 of those tools, rather than being a recommended way to create your own 50 C extensions. 51 52 .. toctree:: 53 :maxdepth: 2 54 :numbered: 55 56 extending.rst 57 newtypes_tutorial.rst 58 newtypes.rst 59 building.rst 60 windows.rst 61 62 Embedding the CPython runtime in a larger application 63 ===================================================== 64 65 Sometimes, rather than creating an extension that runs inside the Python 66 interpreter as the main application, it is desirable to instead embed 67 the CPython runtime inside a larger application. This section covers 68 some of the details involved in doing that successfully. 69 70 .. toctree:: 71 :maxdepth: 2 72 :numbered: 73 74 embedding.rst 75
