What is Python Programming

Python is an interpreted high-level programming language for general-purpose programming. Created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991, Python has a design philosophy that emphasizes code readability, and a syntax that allows programmers to express concepts in fewer lines of code, notably using significant whitespace. It provides constructs that enable clear programming on both small and large scales.

Python features a dynamic type system and automatic memory management. It supports multiple programming paradigms, including object-oriented, imperative, functional and procedural, and has a large and comprehensive standard library.

Since 2003, Python has consistently ranked in the top ten most popular programming languages in the TIOBE Programming Community Index. As of March 2017, it is the fifth most popular language. It was selected Programming Language of the Year in 2007 and 2010. It is the third most popular language whose grammatical syntax is not predominantly based on C.

Python has been used in artificial intelligence projects. As a scripting language with modular architecture, simple syntax and rich text processing tools, Python is often used for natural language processing.

Many operating systems include Python as a standard component. It ships with most Linux distributions, AmigaOS 4, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and macOS, and can be used from the command line (terminal). Many Linux distributions use installers written in Python: Ubuntu uses the Ubiquity installer, while Red Hat Linux and Fedora use the Anaconda installer. Gentoo Linux uses Python in its package management system, Portage.

Python is used extensively in the information security industry, including in exploit development.