Are you wondering "what is Python?" Python is a free and open source programming language that is easy to use and simple to learn. It was developed in 1989 by Guido Van Rossum and designed to be easy to read, learn, and maintain. Python is now one of the most popular programming languages used by developers, especially in growing fields such as artificial intelligence and big data.

Features of Python

There are many features of Python that make it special. Some key features of Python include:

  • Easy to Learn – Python is an easy programming language to learn. It has just a few keywords, a simple structure, and simple syntax.
  • Object-Oriented – Python is an object-oriented programming language, which allows code to be wrapped within classes that represent real or imagined objects.
  • Portable – Python programs can be run on any platform, such as Windows or Mac.Extensive Standard Library – Python has a large standard library with prewritten code for image manipulation, databases, statistics, and data analysis.

What is Python used for?

Python is used in a variety of applications, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, data science, web development, and game development. Python has many libraries for development in these areas and more. For artificial intelligence and machine learning, libraries like Keras, Pandas, and Numpy can be used for data processing and to build machine learning models. For data science, libraries like Pandas, TensorFlow, Numpy, and Matplotlib make it easy to extract information from data and create data visualizations. Libraries such as Pygame, PyKyra, Pyglet, and more make it easy to develop interactive and engaging games.

Examples of Python being used

Many popular audio and video apps are written in Python, including Spotify, Netflix, and YouTube.

Python was also used to develop Battlefield 2, a video game that was popular in the early 2000s.

Python is so popular because it's very easy to learn and use. Python's simple syntax and emphasis on natural language means that programs can be written and executed quickly.

It is also heavily supported by a large community of developers and corporate sponsors, which has led to a large number of libraries and frameworks available for Python. Many developers also agree that Python is more efficient, reliable, and faster than most modern programming languages.

Python can be easily used in a variety of environments, such as mobile applications, desktop applications, web development, hardware programming, and many more. Python's popularity is also because of the various ways it can be used.

Python is also one of the most popular programming languages used for data science and analytics. Since cloud computing, machine learning, and big data are some of the hottest topics in computer science right now, the flexibility and extensive libraries available in Python make it a popular choice for data science.

How to use Python

It is easy to get started using Python. There are many web-based integrated development environments (IDEs) that allow you to quickly start and develop a Python program, such as Trinket or Replit.

If you want to use a different IDE, like Visual Studio Code, you can quickly configure your IDE to work with Python programs.

Now you know what Python is

Python can be used in a variety of applications, so you can use it to develop any type of program you want to make! To get started learning Python, you can take our live online Python for AI course and Python camps for guidance from an expert through a curriculum designed by experts from MIT, Stanford and Google, or check out these Python tutorials from our blog:


Written by Jamila Cocchiola who has always been fascinated with technology and its impact on the world. The technologies that emerged while she was in high school showed her all the ways software could be used to connect people, so she learned how to code so she could make her own! She went on to make a career out of developing software and apps before deciding to become a teacher to help students see the importance, benefits, and fun of computer science.