

The Real Python Podcast
Real Python
A weekly Python podcast hosted by Christopher Bailey with interviews, coding tips, and conversation with guests from the Python community.
The show covers a wide range of topics including Python programming best practices, career tips, and related software development topics. Join us every Friday morning to hear what's new in the world of Python programming and become a more effective Pythonista.
The show covers a wide range of topics including Python programming best practices, career tips, and related software development topics. Join us every Friday morning to hear what's new in the world of Python programming and become a more effective Pythonista.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 4, 2022 • 1h 2min
Exploring the New Features of Python 3.11
Python 3.11 is here! Our regular guests, Geir Arne Hjelle and Christopher Trudeau, return to talk about the new version. Geir Arne wrote a series of preview tutorials earlier this year, and his annual piece, titled “Python 3.11: Cool New Features for You to Try,” was published on October 24. Christopher’s video course came out the next day, covering the topics from the tutorial with visual examples of Python 3.11 in action.
Geir Arne and Christopher collaborated to create code examples for the new features. We discuss better error messages, faster code execution, task and exception groups, typing features, and native TOML support.
We dive into the updates and offer advice about ways to incorporate them into your projects. We also consider when you should start running Python 3.11.
Course Spotlight: Cool New Features in Python 3.11 – Real Python
In this video course, you’ll explore what Python 3.11 brings to the table. You’ll learn how Python 3.11 is the fastest and most user-friendly version of CPython yet, and learn about improvements to the typing system and to the asynchronous features of Python.
Topics:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:02:19 – Preview series
00:03:50 – Faster CPython project
00:07:10 – Specializing adaptive interpreter
00:11:24 – Other performance stuff
00:16:07 – Sponsor: Deepgram
00:16:51 – Improved tracebacks
00:21:49 – Exception groups and notes
00:27:22 – Self type and additional type hints
00:36:14 – Video Course Spotlight
00:37:27 – asyncio and task groups
00:41:25 – TOML and tomllib
00:46:21 – ISO date parsing
00:50:09 – Negative zeros
00:53:38 – Dead battery deprecations
00:56:04 – Advice on upgrading
01:01:01 – Thanks and goodbye
Show Links:
Python 3.11: Cool New Features for You to Try – Real Python
Cool New Features in Python 3.11 – Video Course
faster-cpython/plan.md - GitHub
PEP 659 – Specializing Adaptive Interpreter - peps.python.org
Just-in-time compilation - Wikipedia
Episode #381 Python Perf: Specializing, Adaptive Interpreter - Talk Python To Me Podcast
Episode #339 Making Python Faster with Guido and Mark - Talk Python To Me Podcast
“Zero cost” exception handling · Issue #84403 · python/cpython - GitHub
Python 3.11 Preview: Task and Exception Groups – Real Python
Faster Startup In Python 3.11 — Python 3.11.0 documentation
Python 3.11 Preview: Even Better Error Messages – Real Python
PEP 657 – Include Fine Grained Error Locations in Tracebacks - peps.python.org
Episode #105: Creating Better Error Messages for Python 3.10 & 3.11 – The Real Python Podcast
Exception Groups and except: Irit Katriel - YouTube
PEP 673 – Self Type - peps.python.org
PEP 646 – Variadic Generics - peps.python.org
How Exception Groups Will Improve Error Handling in AsyncIO - Łukasz Langa | Power IT Conference - YouTube
Neopythonic: Reasoning about asyncio.Semaphore
PEP 680 – tomllib: Support for Parsing TOML in the Standard Library - peps.python.org
TOML: Tom’s Obvious Minimal Language
Python 3.11 Preview: TOML and tomllib – Real Python
datetime — Basic date and time types — Python 3.11.0 documentation
13 Month Calendar
Signed zero - Wikipedia
PEP 594 – Removing dead batteries from the standard library - peps.python.org
Level up your Python skills with our expert-led courses:
Cool New Features in Python 3.10
Cool New Features in Python 3.11
Python Type Checking
Support the podcast & join our community of Pythonistas

Oct 21, 2022 • 1h 9min
Fostering an Internal Python Community & Managing the 3.11 Release
Does your company have a plan for growing an internal Python community? What are the attributes to look for when bringing someone into your department? This week on the show, Pablo Galindo Salgado returns to talk about building community through the Python Guild at Bloomberg and managing the release of Python 3.11.
Pablo describes how the Python Guild started and currently operates inside Bloomberg. We talk about how it fosters community and acts as a way to promote internally developed tools across disparate teams. We also discuss how work groups use it to find new internal candidates for their teams.
Pablo talks about his role as release manager for Python 3.10 and 3.11. He shares the intense journey the team has had this year in preparing for the release of 3.11. He details updating testing strategies to work with the new specializing adaptive interpreter.
Course Spotlight: Python Basics: Strings and String Methods
In Python, collections of text are called strings. In this course, you’ll learn about this fundamental data type and the string methods that you can use to manipulate strings. Along the way, you’ll learn ways to work with strings of numbers, and how to format strings for printing.
Topics:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:02:13 – Python Guild inside of Bloomberg
00:13:31 – Finding candidates for the guild from other areas
00:19:11 – Sponsor: Platform.sh
00:19:47 – Considering eagerness to learn and excitement
00:29:44 – Structuring the guild into work groups
00:33:43 – How are things going as release manager?
00:38:25 – Testing for adaptive interpreters
00:44:02 – Working toward the feature freeze
00:50:39 – Changing the parser went smoothly
00:54:34 – Video Course Spotlight
00:55:55 – Where do you find the time?
00:59:51 – How’s the sweep picking coming along?
01:00:33 – What are you excited about in the world of Python?
01:01:29 – What do you want to learn next?
01:07:18 – How can people follow the work you do?
01:08:20 – Thanks and goodbye
Show Links:
Bloomberg publishes Memray, a new open source memory profiler for Python code - Bloomberg LP
bloomberg/memray: Memray is a memory profiler for Python
Pluralsight Tech Blog - Guilds at Pluralsight
Lessons From Building a Community of Python Users Among Capital One’s Analysts - Capital One
PEP 13 – Python Language Governance - peps.python.org
Python Insider: Python 3.11.0rc2 is now available
What’s New In Python 3.11 — Python 3.11.0rc2 documentation
PEP 659 – Specializing Adaptive Interpreter - peps.python.org
Andon (manufacturing) - Wikipedia
Learn Rust - Rust Programming Language
Swift - Apple
raywenderlich.com - High quality programming tutorials: iOS, Android, Swift, Kotlin, Flutter, Server Side Swift, Unity, and more!
Python Developers Survey 2022
pablogsal (Pablo Galindo Salgado) - GitHub
Pablo Galindo Salgado (@pyblogsal) - Twitter
Level up your Python skills with our expert-led courses:
Python Basics: Strings and String Methods
Cool New Features in Python 3.10
Python Basics: Code Your First Python Program
Support the podcast & join our community of Pythonistas

Oct 14, 2022 • 57min
Using an Ellipsis in Python & Goals for CPython 3.12
Where should you use an ellipsis in Python? How does it behave as a placeholder in a script, project, or stub file? What are the next goals for the Faster CPython project? This week on the show, Christopher Trudeau is here, bringing another batch of PyCoder’s Weekly articles and projects.
We talk about a Real Python article that covers when you should use an ellipsis in Python. We discuss the similarities with the pass keyword and how it’s used for type hints within stub files.
Christopher shares resources covering the goals of the Faster CPython project. We’re on the cusp of the release of Python 3.11, but the project keeps moving forward as they look at ways to continue speeding up Python.
We share several other articles and projects from the Python community, including a news roundup, alternatives for hosting Python-based applications, ways to create custom Python strings, a discussion about aging programmers, a structural diff that understands syntax, and a project for refurbishing and modernizing Python codebases.
Course Spotlight: Providing Multiple Constructors in Your Python Classes
In this video course, you’ll learn how to provide multiple constructors in your Python classes. To this end, you’ll learn different techniques, such as checking argument types, using default argument values, writing class methods, and implementing single-dispatch methods.
Topics:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:02:26 – Django security releases issued
00:02:44 – PEP 698: Override Decorator for Static Typing
00:03:37 – Heroku Alternatives for Python-Based Applications
00:14:34 – Python 3.12 Goals: Faster-CPython Ideas Wiki
00:20:29 – Sponsor: InfluxDB
00:21:19 – When Do You Use an Ellipsis in Python?
00:28:18 – Custom Python Strings: Inheriting From str vs UserString
00:32:52 – Aging Programmer
00:46:32 – Video Course Spotlight
00:47:48 – difftastic: A Structural Diff That Understands Syntax
00:50:44 – refurb: Refurbish and Modernize Python Codebases
00:55:44 – Thanks and goodbye
News:
Django security releases issued: 4.1.2, 4.0.8, and 3.2.16 | Weblog | Django
PEP 698: Override Decorator for Static Typing – This Python Enhancement Proposal describes the use of a new decorator, @override, which would be used as a type hint for methods in a subclass that override a parent’s method. This type hint would introduce a level of safety if the parent method is refactored without corresponding changes to the child method.
Show Links:
Heroku Alternatives for Python-Based Applications – Learn about alternatives to Heroku and their pros and cons. Platforms discussed include Digital Ocean, Google App Engine, AWS, Azure, PythonAnywhere, and half a dozen more.
Python 3.12 Goals: Faster-CPython Ideas Wiki – A summary of the goals for the Faster CPython initiative within the Python 3.12 release. Includes trace optimizations, shrinking object sizes, improving memory management overhead, and more. See also the associated Workflow for 3.12 cycle checklist.
When Do You Use an Ellipsis in Python? – You may have seen three dots in Python scripts. Although this syntax may look odd, using an ellipsis is valid Python code. In this tutorial, you’ll learn when Python’s Ellipsis constant can come in handy for you.
Custom Python Strings: Inheriting From str vs UserString – In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create custom string-like classes in Python by inheriting from the built-in str class or by subclassing UserString from the collections module.
Discussion:
Aging Programmer
Projects:
difftastic: A Structural Diff That Understands Syntax
refurb: Refurbish and Modernize Python Codebases
Additional Links:
Opalstack
cookiecutter-python · PyPI
typeshed/stubs at master · python/typeshed
Why Can’t Programmers.. Program?
Level up your Python skills with our expert-led courses:
Sneaky REST APIs With Django Ninja
Using Multiple Constructors in Your Python Classes
Using Python Class Constructors
Support the podcast & join our community of Pythonistas

Oct 7, 2022 • 1h 4min
Using a Memory Profiler in Python & What It Can Teach You
Have you used a memory profiler to gauge the performance of your Python application? Maybe you’re using it to troubleshoot memory issues when loading a large data science project. What could running a profiler show you about a codebase you’re learning? This week on the show, Pablo Galindo Salgado returns to talk about Memray, a powerful tracing memory profiler.
Pablo developed Memray while working at Bloomberg to track memory allocations beyond Python code into native extensions and the interpreter itself. It’s a compelling tool that provides fine-grain reports to help you understand where memory is used.
Pablo shares the reporting that Memray provides, including live mode, flame graphs, and a pytest plug-in. We also discuss how a tracing memory profiler can help you understand a new codebase.
He walks through how he developed the first prototype internally and eventually moved the project into open source. This is the first part of my conversation with Pablo. In a couple of weeks, you’ll get the second part, where we talk about Python guilds inside large companies and his work as the release manager for Python 3.10 and 3.11.
Course Spotlight: SQLite and SQLAlchemy in Python: Moving Your Data Beyond Flat Files
In this video course, you’ll learn how to store and retrieve data using Python, SQLite, and SQLAlchemy as well as with flat files. Using SQLite with Python brings with it the additional benefit of accessing data with SQL. By adding SQLAlchemy, you can work with data in terms of objects and methods.
Topics:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:02:48 – When should you use a memory profiler?
00:05:13 – Fine-grain reporting
00:13:17 – Sampling profiler vs tracing profiler
00:19:46 – Sponsor: Deepgram
00:20:31 – What is a flame graph?
00:30:36 – Using Rich for terminal reporters
00:40:08 – Currently only Linux and macOS
00:41:13 – pytest plug-in
00:42:03 – Showing native allocation details
00:44:20 – Video Course Spotlight
00:45:52 – Using a profiler to learn a codebase
00:54:39 – Moving from internal project to open source
01:02:17 – Thanks and goodbye
Show Links:
memray: Memray is a memory profiler for Python - GitHub bloomberg/memray
memray - PyPI
Bloomberg publishes Memray, a new open source memory profiler for Python code - Bloomberg LP
What is a Flame Graph? How it Works & Use Cases - Datadog
Gantt chart - Wikipedia
py-spy - PyPI
scalene - PyPI
Reduce your Python program’s memory usage with Fil
fil: A Python memory profiler for data processing and scientific computing applications - GitHub pythonspeed/filprofiler
Episode #24: Options for Packaging Your Python Application: Wheels, Docker, and More - The Real Python Podcast
rich - PyPI
Textualize
Brendan Gregg
Linux perf Examples
Deepgram - Speech-to-Text for Developers & Enterprise
Level up your Python skills with our expert-led courses:
Debugging in Python With pdb
SQLite and SQLAlchemy in Python: Moving Your Data Beyond Flat Files
Testing Your Code With pytest
Support the podcast & join our community of Pythonistas

Sep 30, 2022 • 59min
Explaining Access Control Using Python & Cautiously Handling Pickles
Have you ever used code to help explain a topic? How can Python scripts be used to understand the intricacies of access control? This week on the show, Christopher Trudeau is here, bringing another batch of PyCoder’s Weekly articles and projects.
Christopher talks about an article that explores the evolution of access control by reimplementing the concepts with Python scripts. The experiment moves across the various access forms, starting with control lists, roles, and attributes, then ending with purpose-based access control (PBAC).
We also cover a post about how to create dangerous pickles. We discuss where malicious code can hide within the serialization process and how decompiling code can be an education tool.
We share several other articles and projects from the Python community, including command line interface (CLI) creation with argparse, HTML and CSS for Python developers, a Python packaging user survey, a visual Python Tkinter GUI creator, a PyScript-based data visualization cookbook, and a project for writing functional test helpers in Django.
Course Spotlight: Serializing Objects With the Python pickle Module
In this course, you’ll learn how you can use the Python pickle module to convert your objects into a stream of bytes that can be saved to a disk or sent over a network. You’ll also learn the security implications of using this process on objects from an untrusted source.
Topics:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:02:19 – Python 3.11.0rc2 is now available
00:03:45 – HTML and CSS for Python Developers
00:08:34 – Evolution of Access Control Explained Through Python
00:17:14 – Sponsor: InfluxDB
00:18:03 – Dangerous Pickles
00:28:08 – Building Command Line Interfaces With argparse
00:34:27 – Video Course Spotlight
00:35:45 – PyPI.org is running a survey
00:49:01 – Visual Python Tkinter GUI Creator
00:50:33 – Python Data Visualization Cookbook
00:52:06 – django-functest: Helpers for Functional Tests in Django
00:57:55 – Thanks and goodbye
Show Links:
Python Insider: Python 3.11.0rc2 is now available
HTML and CSS for Python Developers – There’s no way around HTML and CSS when you want to build web apps. Even if you’re not aiming to become a web developer, knowing the basics of HTML and CSS will help you understand the Web better. In this tutorial, you’ll get an introduction to HTML and CSS for Python programmers.
Evolution of Access Control Explained Through Python – Sometimes, writing code can help you explore and understand concepts. This article shows a history of access controls in software, using Python scripts to reimplement the ideas.
Dangerous Pickles – A light introduction to the Python pickle protocol, the Pickle Machine, and the construction of malicious pickles. Learn why your code shouldn’t trust arbitrary serialized objects, and discover the dangers of pickle-bombs.
Building Command Line Interfaces With argparse – In this step-by-step Python video course, you’ll learn how to take your command line Python scripts to the next level by adding a convenient command line interface that you can write with argparse.
Discussion:
Python Packaging User Survey
PyPI.org is running a survey on the state of Python packaging | Hacker News
Projects:
Visual Python Tkinter GUI Creator - Chinese
Python Data Visualization Cookbook
django-functest: Helpers for Functional Tests in Django
Additional Links:
Axess Lab | Alt-texts: The Ultimate Guide
The Python pickle Module: How to Persist Objects in Python – Real Python
Understanding pickle in Python | #hsfzxjy#
The ultimate guide to Python pickle | Snyk
Pickle’s nine flaws | Ned Batchelder
pickle — Python object serialization — Python 3.10.7 documentation
pickletools — Tools for pickle developers — Python 3.10.7 documentation
argparse — Parser for command-line option | Python 3.10.7 documentation
Have been testing @pyscript_dev these past few days and finally made something cool. I built an interactive data viz cookbook | Dylan Castillo - Twitter
Level up your Python skills with our expert-led courses:
Grow Your Python Portfolio With 13 Intermediate Project Ideas
Building Command Line Interfaces With argparse
Serializing Objects With the Python pickle Module
Support the podcast & join our community of Pythonistas

8 snips
Sep 23, 2022 • 1h 10min
Python as an Efficiency Tool for Non-Developers
Are you interested in using Python in an industry outside of software development? Would adding a few custom software tools increase efficiency and make your coworkers’ jobs easier? This week on the show, Josh Burnett talks about using Python as a mechanical engineer.
I met Josh at PyCon US 2022 in Salt Lake City, which he attended for the first time with several coworkers. He suggested we do an episode to shed some light on ways that Python is being used professionally by people who aren’t primarily programming for a living.
Josh works as a mechanical engineer for an equipment manufacturer, where he needs to perform repetitive tasks and generate copious logs. He explains how he moved his team away from MATLAB and toward Python.
We discuss his progression from writing scripts to developing packages and eventually hosting his work on PyPI. He also shares his explorations with CircuitPython for personal and professional projects.
Course Spotlight: Building Python Project Documentation With MkDocs
In this video course, you’ll learn how to build professional documentation for a Python package using MkDocs and mkdocstrings. These tools allow you to generate nice-looking and modern documentation from Markdown files and, more importantly, from your code’s docstrings.
Topics:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:02:10 – Meeting at PyCon US 2022
00:04:32 – Bringing members of team to PyCon
00:05:30 – What are next generation instrumentation platforms?
00:06:35 – What is the lifespan of a platform?
00:09:26 – Has interconnectivity affected upgrades?
00:10:57 – Programming and Python background
00:12:13 – Introduction to MATLAB at university
00:15:18 – Moving away from MATLAB to Python
00:19:39 – How was your transition from Python 2 to 3?
00:21:19 – Debugging methods and logging
00:22:27 – Why did you choose Python?
00:24:26 – Sponsor: Deepgram
00:25:12 – Promoting more use of Python in the organization
00:33:07 – Selling the idea of Python training in the organization
00:37:16 – Moving from scripts to building packages
00:43:48 – From personal project to critical package on PyPI
00:44:29 – Using PyPI or in-house package repository
00:46:27 – Experience with modern packaging tools
00:48:16 – Video Course Spotlight
00:49:32 – Using CircuitPython for personal and work projects
00:56:09 – Use of 3D printing and machining
00:57:33 – Josh’s projects on PyPI
01:02:57 – What are you excited about in the world of Python?
01:05:23 – What do you want to learn next?
01:08:46 – How can people follow your work?
01:09:07 – Thanks and goodbye
Show Links:
PyPI Profile of joshburnett
PyCon 2022 Welcome to PyCon US 2022
MATLAB - MathWorks - MATLAB & Simulink
devpi: PyPI server and packaging/testing/release tool
Artifactory - Universal Artifact Repository Manager - JFrog
loguru · PyPI
How to Publish an Open-Source Python Package to PyPI – Real Python
Python and TOML: New Best Friends – Real Python
PyQtGraph - Scientific Graphics and GUI Library for Python
CircuitPython
Adafruit MagTag - 2.9 Grayscale E-Ink WiFi Display
canaveral · PyPI
addcopyfighandler · PyPI
PyScript | Run Python in your HTML
What exactly is WASI? - Wasm Builders 🧱
WASI - WebAssembly System Interface
KiCad EDA - Schematic Capture & PCB Design Software
Lessons learned from building a custom CircuitPython board - Stargirl (Thea) Flowers
Using Python to vectorize artwork for PCBs - Stargirl (Thea) Flowers
Josh Burnett - GitHub
Josh Burnett - LinkedIn
Level up your Python skills with our expert-led courses:
Building Python Project Documentation With MkDocs
How to Publish Your Own Python Package to PyPI
Python Modules and Packages: An Introduction
Support the podcast & join our community of Pythonistas

Sep 16, 2022 • 53min
Improve Matplotlib With Style Sheets & Python Async for the Web
Have you thought the standard output from Matplotlib is a bit generic looking? Would you like a quick way to add style and consistency to your data visualizations? This week on the show, Christopher Trudeau is here, bringing another batch of PyCoder’s Weekly articles and projects.
We cover an article about the magic of creating style sheets for Matplotlib. You can quickly customize plots and graphs with a single line of code. We share additional resources for you to try out new styles and learn what parameters are customizable.
Christopher covers an article about using async for web development in Python. The creation of Python generators inspired the development of async functionality. He discusses recent changes and async additions within Python web frameworks.
We cover several other articles and projects from the Python community, including how to install a pre-release version of Python, cache in Python with lru_cache, and get better at debugging, along with suggestions of libraries that deserve attention, a Python library for creating mathematical animations, and an extremely fast Python linter that’s written in Rust.
Course Spotlight: Python Debugging With pdb
In this hands-on course, you’ll learn the basics of using pdb, Python’s interactive source code debugger. pdb is a great tool for tracking down hard-to-find bugs, and it allows you to fix faulty code more quickly.
Topics:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:02:21 – Python releases 3.10.7, 3.9.14, 3.8.14, and 3.7.14 are now available
00:03:51 – How Can You Install a Pre-Release Version of Python?
00:08:13 – Understanding async Python for the Web
00:17:11 – The Magic of Matplotlib Style Sheets
00:24:20 – Sponsor: Platform.sh
00:24:56 – Caching in Python With lru_cache
00:29:41 – Some Ways to Get Better at Debugging
00:38:14 – Video Course Spotlight
00:39:26 – Suggest a Lesser Known Library Deserving Attention
00:44:52 – ruff: An Extremely Fast Python Linter, Written in Rust
00:48:19 – Manim: Python Library for Creating Mathematical Animations
00:51:50 – Thanks and goodbye
Show Links:
Python releases 3.10.7, 3.9.14, 3.8.14, and 3.7.14 are now available
How Can You Install a Pre-Release Version of Python? – If you want to have a peek at what’s coming in the next stable version of Python, then you can install a pre-release version. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to access the latest Python versions and help test them.
Understanding async Python for the Web – “Recently Django 4.1 was released, and the thing most people seem interested in is the expanded async support. The Python web ecosystem has been seeing new frameworks pop up which are fully async, or support going fully async, from the start.” Learn more about async and its use in web frameworks.
The Magic of Matplotlib Stylesheets – With a single line of code, you can integrate a style sheet with your Matplotlib visualization. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to make your very own custom reusable style sheet.
Caching in Python With lru_cache – Caching is an essential optimization technique. In this video course, you’ll learn how to use Python’s @lru_cache decorator to cache the results of your functions using the LRU cache strategy. This is a powerful technique you can use to leverage the power of caching in your implementations.
Some Ways to Get Better at Debugging – This is a short summary of a couple of academic papers on how to improve your debugging skills. The suggestions are to learn the codebase, learn the system, learn your tools, learn strategies, and gain experience.
Discussions:
Suggest a Lesser Known Library Deserving Attention
Projects:
ruff: An Extremely Fast Python Linter, Written in Rust
Manim: Python Library for Creating Mathematical Animations
Additional Links:
Managing Multiple Python Versions With pyenv – Real Python
Your Python Coding Environment on Windows: Setup Guide – Real Python
Customizing Matplotlib with style sheets and rcParams — Matplotlib 3.5.3 documentation
dhaitz/matplotlib-stylesheets: Stylesheets for Matplotlib
Kaggle: Your Home for Data Science
wizard zines
Rubber Duck Debugging – Debugging software with a rubber ducky
pudb · PyPI
Humre · PyPI
Welcome to Nox — Nox 2022.8.7 documentation
Episode #21: Exploring K-means Clustering and Building a Gradebook With Pandas – The Real Python Podcast
3Blue1Brown - YouTube
Level up your Python skills with our expert-led courses:
Python Basics: Finding and Fixing Code Bugs
Python Plotting With Matplotlib
Debugging in Python With pdb
Support the podcast & join our community of Pythonistas

Sep 9, 2022 • 1h 21min
Exploring Recursion in Python With Al Sweigart
Have you wanted to understand recursion and how to use it in Python? Are you familiar with the call stack and how it relates to tracebacks? This week on the show, Al Sweigart talks about his new book, “The Recursive Book of Recursion.”
Recursion is one of those concepts held as a tenet of high-level computer science priesthood. Al explains the fundamentals of writing recursive functions and a critical missing piece in understanding how they operate, the call stack. After completing his research, he concluded that it’s a technique that you should understand but rarely use.
He also shares the few cases where recursion is an appropriate solution. Along the way, we talk about directed acyclic graphs, solving mazes, exploring file trees, and creating fractal images.
Course Spotlight: Caching in Python With lru_cache
Caching is an essential optimization technique. In this video course, you’ll learn how to use Python’s @lru_cache decorator to cache the results of your functions using the LRU cache strategy. This is a powerful technique you can use to leverage the power of caching in your implementations.
Topics:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:01:55 – The Recursive Book of Recursion
00:02:55 – A Beginner’s Guide to Recursion - YouTube
00:05:41 – What is recursion?
00:10:17 – Understanding the call stack
00:12:15 – Languages moving from GOTO statements to functions and a stack
00:21:11 – A common recursion example of factorials
00:26:00 – Fibonacci sequence and memoization
00:30:25 – Cautionary advice on applying recursion
00:32:55 – What is recursion useful for?
00:39:56 – Video Course Spotlight
00:41:14 – Recursion and directed acyclic graphs
00:45:46 – Book examples
00:49:50 – Thoughts on tail recursion
00:54:34 – How has the scope of the book evolved?
01:00:34 – Creating examples in two languages
01:02:37 – Upcoming projects
01:05:19 – Examples of the projects in the book
01:10:30 – What are you excited about in the world of Python?
01:14:50 – What do you want to learn next?
01:19:06 – How can people follow your work?
01:19:48 – Thanks and goodbye
Show Links:
The Recursive Book of Recursion | No Starch Press
Recursion for Beginners: A Beginner’s Guide to Recursion - YouTube
The Invent with Python Blog
Recursion in Python
factorial | Definition, Symbol, & Facts | Britannica
Fibonacci sequence | Definition, Formula, Numbers, Ratio, & Facts | Britannica
A Python Guide to the Fibonacci Sequence – Real Python
Directed acyclic graph - Wikipedia
Dynamic programming - Wikipedia
The Little Schemer : Friedman, Daniel P : Internet Archive
Book Review: The Little Schemer - The Invent with Python Blog
Droste effect - Wikipedia
Episode #33: Going Beyond the Basic Stuff With Python and Al Sweigart – The Real Python Podcast
Textualize
Episode #80: Make Your Python App Interactive With a Text User Interface (TUI) – The Real Python Podcast
BeeWare — Write once. Deploy everywhere.
Episode #22: Create Cross-Platform Python GUI Apps With BeeWare – The Real Python Podcast
Origami with Jo Nakashima - YouTube
Invent with Python
Level up your Python skills with our expert-led courses:
Grow Your Python Portfolio With 13 Intermediate Project Ideas
Caching in Python With lru_cache
Exploring the Fibonacci Sequence With Python
Support the podcast & join our community of Pythonistas

Sep 2, 2022 • 1h 14min
Creating a Python Code Completer & More Abstract Syntax Tree Projects
How does a code completion tool work? What is an Abstract Syntax Tree, and how is it created in Python? How does an AST help you write programs and projects that inspect and modify your Python code? This week on the show, Meredydd Luff, co-founder of Anvil, shares his PyCon talk, “Building a Python Code Completer.”
Meredydd talks about his experience building a code completion engine for the Anvil platform. The conversation leads us to discuss how Python parses the code that you type. We examine tokenization, abstract syntax trees, and how parsing has changed in Python.
We cover additional projects that you can explore once you have a tool that inspects the Python code you’re writing. Join us as we dive into multiple rabbit holes of research and exploration.
Course Spotlight: Python Assignment Expressions and Using the Walrus Operator
In this course, you’ll learn about assignment expressions and the walrus operator. The biggest change in Python 3.8 was the inclusion of the := operator, which you can use to assign variables in the middle of expressions. You’ll see several examples of how to take advantage of this feature.
Topics:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:02:11 – Building a Python Code Completer - Talk
00:08:48 – How is recursion being used?
00:10:28 – Abstract Syntax Trees, Parsers, and Tokens
00:14:58 – Sponsor: CData Software
00:15:39 – Is parsing into tokens a separate step?
00:21:45 – What makes the new PEG parser unique?
00:25:32 – Using the AST doesn’t have to be scary.
00:27:33 – More on the PEG parser
00:29:54 – Keeping scope and holding completions
00:39:43 – Video Course Spotlight
00:41:15 – Was this your first expirement in creating a code completer?
00:46:46 – How can adding type hints assist a completer?
00:50:53 – Projects you can build using AST
00:53:02 – Linter project
00:54:15 – Automatic code formatter
00:54:59 – Code testing and the pytest project
00:56:22 – Security tools
00:57:11 – Friendlier tracebacks
00:59:57 – Code completion vs GitHub Copilot
01:04:14 – Code completion in a text editor vs IDE
01:08:53 – What are you excited about in the world of Python?
01:09:54 – What do you want to learn next?
01:11:20 – How can people follow your work?
01:12:31 – Thanks and goodbye
Show Links:
Talk - Meredydd Luff: Building a Python Code Completer - YouTube
Anvil | Build Web Apps with Nothing but Python
Episode #63: Create Web Applications Using Only Python With Anvil – The Real Python Podcast
“Writing a PEG parser for fun and profit” - Guido van Rossum (North Bay Python 2019) - YouTube
PEG Parsing Series Overview. My series of blog posts about PEG | by Guido van Rossum
Abstract syntax tree - Wikipedia
Parse tree - Wikipedia
ast — Abstract Syntax Trees — Python 3.10.6 documentation
Full Grammar specification — Python 3.10.6 documentation
Python AST Explorer
Examples of working with ASTs — Green Tree Snakes 1.0 documentation
bellybutton: Custom Python linting through AST expressions
black · PyPI
pytest: helps you write better programs — pytest documentation
friendly-traceback: Friendlier Python tracebacks.
Raspberry Pi Pico – Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi Pico W : ID 5526 : $6.00 : Adafruit Industries, Unique & fun DIY electronics and kits
State management - Wikipedia
Recoil
Meredydd Luff (@meredydd) / Twitter
Level up your Python skills with our expert-led courses:
Python Assignment Expressions and Using the Walrus Operator
Testing Your Code With pytest
Writing Beautiful Pythonic Code With PEP 8
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37 snips
Aug 19, 2022 • 1h 2min
Configuring a Coding Environment on Windows & Using TOML With Python
Have you attempted to set up a Python development environment on Windows before? Would it be helpful to have an easy-to-follow guide to get you started? This week on the show, Christopher Trudeau is here, bringing another batch of PyCoder’s Weekly articles and projects.
We talk about a Real Python tutorial that covers configuring a Windows coding environment. The guide contains valuable suggestions, best practices, and powerful coding tools. It also covers how to use a package manager, the new Windows Terminal, PowerShell Core, and a program to manage multiple versions of Python.
Christopher covers another Real Python tutorial about using TOML in Python. TOML is a configuration format for building and distributing your own packages. We discuss how TOML parsing will be added to Python’s standard library in version 3.11.
We cover several other articles and projects from the Python community, on topics including technical writing for developers, a news round-up, a farewell to obsolete Python libraries, uncommon uses of Python in commonly used libraries, a prettier ls, and a project for advanced hot reloading in Python.
Course Spotlight: Python Basics: Finding and Fixing Code Bugs
In this Python Basics video course, you’ll learn how to identify and fix logic errors, or bugs, in your Python code. You’ll use the built-in debugging tools in Python’s Integrated Development and Learning Environment to practice locating and resolving bugs in an example function.
Topics:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:02:13 – Python 3.10.6 Released
00:02:41 – Python 3.11.0rc1 Released
00:03:13 – Django 4.1 Released
00:04:07 – 10 malicious Python packages exposed in latest repository attack
00:05:12 – Protestware: Why Developers Sabotage Their Own Code
00:06:41 – Python and TOML: New Best Friends
00:16:19 – Say Goodbye to These Obsolete Python Libraries
00:25:51 – Video Course Spotlight
00:27:26 – Uncommon Uses of Python in Commonly Used Libraries
00:37:56 – Your Python Coding Environment on Windows: Setup Guide
00:48:20 – Technical Writing for Developers
00:55:24 – reloadium: Advanced Hot Reloading for Python
00:58:07 – pls: A Prettier ‘ls’
01:00:56 – Thanks and goodbye
News:
Python 3.10.6 Released
Python 3.11.0rc1 Released
Django 4.1 Released
10 malicious Python packages exposed in latest repository attack | Ars Technica
Protestware: Why Developers Sabotage Their Own Code
Topic Links:
Python and TOML: New Best Friends – TOML is a configuration file format that’s becoming increasingly popular in the Python community. In this tutorial, you’ll learn the syntax of TOML and explore how you can work with TOML files in your own projects.
Say Goodbye to These Obsolete Python Libraries – It’s time to say goodbye to os.path, random, pytz, namedtuple and many more obsolete Python libraries. Start using the latest and greatest ones instead.
Uncommon Uses of Python in Commonly Used Libraries – To learn more about writing maintainable Python, Eugene has been reading code from some of the more popular Python libraries. This blog post talks about some of the coding patterns he has encountered along the way.
Your Python Coding Environment on Windows: Setup Guide – With this opinionated guide to setting up a basic, fully featured, and flexible setup for Python coding and contributing to open-source projects when working from Windows, you’ll go from a fresh install to ready to contribute, and even check out a PowerShell script to automate much of the process.
Discussion:
Technical Writing for Developers – “The way we write about and around code is arguably as important as the code itself.” This article outlines how programming and writing come together to take your developer skills to the next level.
Projects:
reloadium: Advanced Hot Reloading for Python
pls: A Prettier ‘ls’
Additional Links:
Python 3.11 Preview: TOML and tomllib – Real Python
Why you should be using pathlib
No really, pathlib is great
Episode #116: Exploring Functional Programming in Python With Bruce Eckel – The Real Python Podcast
Episode #101: Tools for Setting Up Python on a New Machine – The Real Python Podcast
pls: Documentation
Level up your Python skills with our expert-led courses:
Python Basics: Finding and Fixing Code Bugs
Practical Recipes for Working With Files in Python
Debugging in Python With pdb
Support the podcast & join our community of Pythonistas