Python, a high-level, interpreted programming language, is known for its simplicity and readability. It’s widely used in various domains, from web development to data science, making it a valuable skill for any programmer. If you’re interested in diving deeper into Python’s inner workings, obtaining a copy of the Python source code is a great place to start. Here’s how you can do it.
Python Source Distribution
The Python source distribution is always available from the official Python website, python.org. You can download the latest distribution from the downloads section. The source distribution is a gzipped tar file that contains the complete C source code, Sphinx-formatted documentation, Python library modules, example programs, and several pieces of freely distributable software.
Python Development Sources
If you’re interested in the latest development sources, you can obtain them from Python’s official GitHub repository. This repository contains the source code for the ongoing development version of Python, allowing you to explore new features and improvements that may not be present in the stable release.
Compiling the Source Code
Once you’ve downloaded the source code, you can compile and run it on most UNIX platforms right out of the box. This allows you to not only study the source code but also modify it and test your changes in a live Python environment.
