What is Python? Its Applications & Why Is It So Popular?

If you own a smartphone or a laptop, you’ve benefited from the output of a programming language. The games, productivity apps, eCommerce platforms, or pretty much everything that makes your smart devices so crucial to your routine, is a result of multiple programming languages.

Python programming has grown considerably as it is applied to automation, data analysis, machine learning & artificial intelligence and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. It’s one of the easiest programming languages to learn for a beginner and arguably one of the hardest to master even for seasoned coders. Python also holds the title of one of the most preferred programming languages because of its wide application and simpler syntax. Let’s get a better idea about what Python actually is.

What Is Python

To put it briefly, Python is an object-oriented, high-level programming language. Its main applications are web development, machine learning, data analysis & visualization as well as embedded systems. These uses are hardly exhaustive as python was developed as a general-purpose programming language based on Java. Python is a multi-paradigm language as it supports both object-oriented programming (OOPs) and scripted programming.

You learn coding Python, especially using it on Machine Learning Projects. See the guides here at Projectpro Machine Learning Projects Ideas for Beginners.

Whether it’s scrolling through Youtube, listening to your favorite podcasts on Spotify, or using cloud storage on Dropbox, it’s more than likely that these platforms used Python for their programming needs. The large selection of ready-to-go and well-supported Python backend frameworks such as Django, make web development less time-consuming and more efficient.

Python is also capable of handling massive data sets with better ease compared to programming languages like R. This processing speed makes it ideal for data analysis. It’s the go-to programming language for machine learning due to its versatility and flexibility. Since it’s a java-based language it’s easily compiled and extends its usage beyond analytics by integrating seamlessly with other platforms and programming languages.

If you’re looking to learn a programming language with a long-term and wide range of applications, your search ends with Python. As a beginner, it’s clean and simple syntax and large support base make for a shorter learning curve. You can also start creating your own projects after learning the basics of Python and implementing available source codes. Python has a large number of open-source libraries with pre-combined codes that can aid in multiple projects.

Beginning & Growth

A brainchild of Guido van Rossum, Python was named after a BBC comedy show Monty Python’s Flying Circus. The first version of Python was fully developed in 1994. This was already a general-purpose programming language that was good at exception handling and added functional programming tools.

Rossum launched Computer Programming for Everybody (CP4E) to make programming easy for laypeople. There was a focus on it’s clean syntax and learnability based on basic literacy of English. Over the years, Python became more specialized and expandable, however, it still remains one of the easiest programming languages to learn for beginners. Python was succinct, the code was readable and it offered high-level productivity to programmers.

Versions 2.x & 3.x are the most widely used and each have their own dedicated fanbase. Python is adaptive and its instinctive developer philosophy has already made it a favorite among technological giants like Google, Cisco, HP, etc. The latest version of Python is 3.10.2 available to download on their website. The three decimals in the version, where the first one, 3 stands for major release which includes fundamental changes to Python’s code, the second, 10 is a minor release with added features and updated almost yearly & the third one, 2 is a micro release which only includes bugfixes.

Major releases are very rare and need-based, for eg the introduction of Unicode Standard prompted the release of version Python 3.x. There seems to be no scope for a major release in the foreseeable future.

Features

Usability – Needless to say, Python is one of the most-user friendly programming languages. It has a simple syntax and intuitive code. Python is easier to learn than C, C++, and Java but it does not compromise on quality and versatility. This is why Python is used by people who are not necessarily software developers for data analysis and visualization etc.

Python is an extensible language, which means that some of the code can be written in C, C,++ and also compiled in the same language. Since Python code is written in each line, there’s no need to compile it. This feature makes Python a lot easier to debug.

Open-Source & Broad Support – Python is completely free to download and the source code is available for the public to download and share. Python also boasts of a broad support from various backend frameworks like Django, Flask, Hug, etc and libraries such as Tensorflow, Pytorch, Keras, etc. The supporting web, API frameworks, and libraries are also open source. These need to be calibrated according to the domain and scale of the project.

High-level and Object Oriented Programming (OOP) – Python has been used to automate repetitive tasks and objects for years. But that is hardly the extent of its applications. This high-level programming language can be used to carry out highly logical functions, regardless of the hardware.

Python is an OOP-based language that can be integrated with various scripting languages like JavaScript, HTML to build sturdy and long-term web applications. A design that’s built around data structure and objects gives amazing functionality.

Adaptability – Python moves forward, no barrier seems to stop it’s growth. Each progressive version of this programming language gets more stable, scalable, and expandable. Python developers have proven themselves to keep up with the fast-moving world of software development. Python has evolved to provide a responsive yet lightweight design for applications.

Versatility – From web development to machine learning and AI, Python has a vast range of applications. Platforms like Instagram, Dropbox, Amazon, and countless others are Python-based. Hardly any technological industry is without the application of this popular programming language.

Where Can Python Be Applied

As mentioned earlier, there is a wide base of applications for Python. Learning this programming language will certainly make you a more intuitive and successful coder. A few of its applications are as below:

Data Science –Python is widely preferred by data scientists because of it’s libraries to manage and manipulate data. The capacity to handle massive data sets is useful for finding data insights and aid in the process of decision-making. Check out Data Science Full Course for detailed knowledge.

Web Development – Python is literally everywhere. So many of your favorite apps are built and run on Python. Libraries like Django combined with Python’s readability and other features like asynchronous coding gives you a dynamic and dependable framework to develop web applications.

Multimedia Based Development – Be it mobile games or streaming apps, Python with cross-platform multimedia libraries like pyglet have enhanced user experience.

Machine Learning – We will never get tired of saying this, Python’s vast range of libraries and frameworks have facilitated advanced analytical functions and computation. Python is an incredible tool for machine learning, AI as well as deep learning.

Apart from the above, Python has been used to build encrypted blockchain contracts, GUI designs, computing and scientific operations & many fin-tech platforms.

How Can You Ride The Python Wave

There has never been a better time to take advantage of Python’s popularity and add this highly valuable skill to your repertoire. The application of Python is indispensable if you want to get into software development and IoT (Internet of Things) and highly recommended if you’re just a layperson contemplating learning a programming language as an accessory to your skillset.

There are countless resources and tutorials to get started. Python is ofcourse an open-source programming language. You might as well learn how to navigate the waters of online tutorials. One good news is that Google has started offering a free Python certification course online. However, as far as certificates go, they’re only as good as your conceptual clarity and willingness to keep learning.