
The Real Python Podcast
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.
Latest episodes

55 snips
Dec 20, 2024 • 1h 13min
Exploring Modern Sentiment Analysis Approaches in Python
Jodie Burchell, a developer advocate for data science at JetBrains with a PhD in clinical psychology, shares her expertise on sentiment analysis. She discusses traditional lexicon-based methods and advanced machine learning techniques, highlighting the evolution of sentiment analysis with large language models. Jodie emphasizes the challenges of linguistic nuances and context in emotional classification. From practical applications in blogging to tools for analysis like TextBlob, she provides valuable insights for anyone looking to dive deeper into this field.

25 snips
Dec 6, 2024 • 51min
Good Python Programming Practices When New to the Language
Christopher Trudeau, a regular contributor to PyCoder's Weekly, shares invaluable insights on transitioning to Python from other languages. He emphasizes the importance of embracing PEP 8 for cleaner code and effective scope management. Practical tips cover installing Python and avoiding common beginner pitfalls. The discussion also highlights community resources, recent Python releases, and tools for dependency management like PIP Tools and Poetry. Additionally, they touch on mastering NumPy for data manipulation, providing hands-on exercises for skill reinforcement.

46 snips
Nov 29, 2024 • 1h 1min
marimo: Reactive Notebooks and Deployable Web Apps in Python
Akshay Agrawal, creator of the innovative marimo notebook, discusses enhancing the Python notebook experience for data scientists. He tackles common issues with traditional notebooks, such as hidden state and reproducibility, proposing a directed acyclic graph (DAG) structure for better organization. Akshay reveals how marimo notebooks are both readable and git-friendly, utilizing PEP 723 for standalone notebooks. He also illuminates their capability to be deployed as interactive web apps, revolutionizing how data scientists collaborate and share their work.

Nov 22, 2024 • 46min
The Joy of Tinkering & Python Free-Threading Performance
Christopher Trudeau, a regular contributor from PyCoder’s Weekly, shares his insights on keeping the spark alive in software development. He discusses the joy of tinkering with Python, emphasizing hands-on experimentation to sharpen skills. Trudeau dives into Python 3.13's free-threading performance, showcasing its behavior with large datasets. The conversation also highlights new Python library releases, innovative tools for concurrency challenges, and the significance of closures, wrapped up with thoughts on the balance between personal projects and professional growth.

Nov 15, 2024 • 1h 9min
Maintaining the Foundations of Python & Cautionary Tales
Paul Everitt, a long-time Python community organizer, shares his insights on sustaining open-source projects and funding strategies. He contrasts Python's governance evolution with the ongoing drama in the WordPress community. The conversation digs into the intricacies of corporate sponsorship, advocating for community engagement while navigating potential conflicts of interest. Everitt also emphasizes the necessity for flexible governance models to ensure trust and longevity in open source, highlighting lessons learned from Python's history.

Nov 8, 2024 • 48min
New PEPs: Template Strings & External Wheel Hosting
Christopher Trudeau, a regular contributor from PyCoder's Weekly, dives into recent Python Enhancement Proposals, including PEP 750, which introduces safer string formatting, and PEP 759 for external resource hosting. The discussion covers the exciting updates in Python 3.13, innovative solutions for solving Sudoku puzzles, and the introduction of a debugging tool for HTTP requests. Trudeau also shares insights on mentoring within the tech community, highlighting modern tools like Scrapling for guiding newcomers.

8 snips
Nov 1, 2024 • 1h 20min
PySheets: Spreadsheets in the Browser Using PyScript
Chris Laffra, a seasoned software engineer with stints at IBM, Google, and Uber, discusses his innovative project PySheets, aiming to bring spreadsheet capabilities to Python. He shares insights on building efficient browser-based applications and the importance of interface design. The conversation delves into enhancing developer productivity and communication skills in tech environments. Chris also reflects on his career journey, the integration of Python with spreadsheet functions, and the challenges of managing data storage in web applications.

23 snips
Oct 25, 2024 • 43min
Python Getting Faster and Leaner & Ideas for Django Projects
Christopher Trudeau, a regular on the show and contributor at PyCoder's Weekly, discusses exciting developments in Python, including the adaptive interpreter and JIT compiler from version 3.13. He shares insights on performance improvements and explores a range of Django projects for developers at all skill levels. The conversation also dives into recent Python Enhancement Proposals and practical community projects like building a contact book app and leveraging DuckDB in the browser. It’s a treasure trove for Python enthusiasts!

12 snips
Oct 18, 2024 • 1h 1min
Narwhals: Expanding DataFrame Compatibility Between Libraries
Marco Gorelli, a data scientist and creator of the Narwhals project, shares his journey into open source and the mission behind Narwhals, which enhances compatibility between DataFrame libraries like Polars and PyArrow. He discusses the benefits of lazy evaluation and how this simplifies data processing. The conversation also delves into community engagement in open source, offering advice for newcomers, and highlights collaborations with libraries such as Altair and scikit-lego. Marco's insights make for an engaging exploration of modern data compatibility.

23 snips
Oct 11, 2024 • 55min
Exploring the New Features of Python 3.13
Geir Arne Hjelle, a regular contributor on Python features, and Christopher Trudeau, a video course creator, dive into the exciting new aspects of Python 3.13. They unpack the enhanced REPL experience, showcasing improved error messages and multi-line editing. The duo discusses the implications of optional Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) and Just-in-Time (JIT) compilation. They highlight advancements in static typing, making code clearer and safer. Listeners will gain insights on when to adopt the new version and integrate these features into their projects.