Expert Python Programming - Third Edition

Not only CPython

The reference Python interpreter implementation is called CPython and, as its name suggests, it is written entirely in the C language. It was always C and probably will be still for a very long time. That's the implementation that most Python programmers choose because it is always up to date with the language specification and is the interpreter that most libraries are tested on. But, besides C, Python interpreter was written in a few other languages. Also, there are some modified versions of CPython interpreter available under different names and tailored exactly for some niche applications. Most of them are a few milestones behind CPython, but provide a great opportunity to use and promote the language in a specific environment. ...