A few years ago, programming languages were only known by software developers. These days, with the rise of new technologies, programming skills are needed for almost all non-developer jobs as well. As such, there is a need for a simple programming language that is easy to learn, but can also provide fast edit cycles and smooth development. Python is a language that meets all of these needs. According to the TIOBE Programming Community Index, Python is one of the top programming languages of 2020. Python’s rise in popularity is due to its use in booming fields such as AI, data mining and numerical computing. 

Let us begin with the Python features and advantages.

Python Features and Advantages

The following are some of the features in Python that are discussed below:

1. Easy to Code

Python is a very high-level programming language, yet it is effortless to learn. Anyone can learn to code in Python in just a few hours or a few days. Mastering Python and all its advanced concepts, packages and modules might take some more time. However, learning the basic Python syntax is very easy, as compared to other popular languages like C, C++, and Java. 

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2. Easy to Read

Python code looks like simple English words. There is no use of semicolons or brackets, and the indentations define the code block. You can tell what the code is supposed to do simply by looking at it. 

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We will now look into the next Python features.

3. Free and Open-Source

Python is developed under an OSI-approved open source license. Hence, it is completely free to use, even for commercial purposes. It doesn't cost anything to download Python or to include it in your application. It can also be freely modified and re-distributed. Python can be downloaded from the official Python website.

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4. Robust Standard Library

Python has an extensive standard library available for anyone to use. This means that programmers don’t have to write their code for every single thing unlike other programming languages. There are libraries for image manipulation, databases, unit-testing, expressions and a lot of other functionalities. In addition to the standard library, there is also a growing collection of thousands of components, which are all available in the Python Package Index.

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5. Interpreted

When a programming language is interpreted, it means that the source code is executed line by line, and not all at once. Programming languages such as C++ or Java are not interpreted, and hence need to be compiled first to run them. There is no need to compile Python because it is processed at runtime by the interpreter. 

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6. Portable

Python is portable in the sense that the same code can be used on different machines. Suppose you write a Python code on a Mac. If you want to run it on Windows or Linux later, you don’t have to make any changes to it. As such, there is no need to write a program multiple times for several platforms.

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7. Object-Oriented and Procedure-Oriented

A programming language is object-oriented if it focuses design around data and objects, rather than functions and logic. On the contrary, a programming language is procedure-oriented if it focuses more on functions (code that can be reused). One of the critical Python features is that it supports both object-oriented and procedure-oriented programming. 

8. Extensible

A programming language is said to be extensible if it can be extended to other languages. Python code can also be written in other languages like C++, making it a highly extensible language.

9. Expressive

Python needs to use only a few lines of code to perform complex tasks. For example, to display Hello World, you simply need to type one line - print(“Hello World”). Other languages like Java or C would take up multiple lines to execute this.

10. Support for GUI

One of the key aspects of any programming language is support for GUI or Graphical User Interface. A user can easily interact with the software using a GUI. Python offers various toolkits, such as Tkinter, wxPython and JPython, which allows for GUI's easy and fast development.

11. Dynamically Typed

Many programming languages need to declare the type of the variable before runtime. With Python, the type of the variable can be decided during runtime. This makes Python a dynamically typed language.

For example, if you have to assign an integer value 20 to a variable “x”, you don’t need to write int x = 20. You just have to write x = 15.

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12. High-level Language

Python is a high-level programming language because programmers don’t need to remember the system architecture, nor do they have to manage the memory. This makes it super programmer-friendly and is one of the key features of Python.

13. Simplify Complex Software Development

Python can be used to develop both desktop and web apps and complex scientific and numerical applications. Python's data analysis features help you create custom big data solutions without so much time and effort. You can also use the Python data visualization libraries and APIs to present data in a more appealing way. Several advanced software developers use Python to accomplish high-end AI and natural language processing tasks. 

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14. Other Advanced Programming Features

Python contains several advanced programming features such as generators (used to create iterators with a different approach that most other languages) and list comprehensions (used to create new lists from other iterables). Python also has automatic memory management eliminating the need to manually allocate and free memory in the code.

15. Dynamic Binding

Dynamic binding, also known as dynamic typing, is a key feature of Python that allows variables to be bound to objects dynamically at runtime. In Python, you don't need to explicitly declare the data type of a variable when it is created. Instead, the interpreter determines the variable's type based on the value assigned to it.

For example:

x = 10 # x is dynamically bound to an integer object
y = "Hello" # y is dynamically bound to a string object

This flexibility allows for more concise and readable code, as you can focus on the logic of your program without worrying about type declarations. However, it also requires careful attention to variable types to avoid runtime errors.

16. Strong Community Support

Python boasts one of the largest and most active programming communities, with millions of developers worldwide contributing to its growth and development. This strong community support is one of Python's greatest strengths, providing a wealth of resources, documentation, libraries, frameworks, and online forums for learning and collaboration.

The Python Package Index (PyPI) hosts tens of thousands of open-source packages covering a wide range of domains, from web development and data science to artificial intelligence and machine learning. These packages offer ready-made solutions to common programming tasks, enabling developers to accelerate development and focus on solving higher-level problems.

Moreover, Python community events, such as conferences, meetups, and workshops, provide opportunities for networking, skill-building, and knowledge-sharing among developers of all levels. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced programmer, the Python community offers abundant resources and support to help you succeed.

17. Read-Evaluate-Print Loop (REPL) Environment

Python's REPL (Read-Evaluate-Print Loop) environment is an interactive programming environment that allows you to execute Python code line by line and immediately see the results. It provides a convenient way to experiment with Python code, test small snippets, and explore language features without the need to write and run full scripts.

To access the Python REPL, you can simply open a terminal or command prompt and type python. This launches the Python interpreter, where you can enter Python expressions and statements interactively.

For example:

>>> 2 + 3
5
>>> x = "Hello"
>>> print(x)
Hello

The REPL environment is particularly useful for learning Python, debugging code, and prototyping ideas quickly. It fosters an iterative and exploratory approach to programming, allowing developers to experiment with code in a lightweight and interactive manner. Additionally, the REPL environment can be integrated with development environments and text editors, providing enhanced features such as syntax highlighting, code completion, and inline documentation.

Conclusion

There are numerous Python features which makes it so special and different from any other programming language. If you want to get a leg up on the competition by learning a new programming language, Python is the best one to start with. Simpilearn’s Python Training Course will teach you all the basics of Python and how to apply it to real world applications. It covers data operation, conditional statements, shell scripting, Django error handling and lots more. Get started with this training course today to become a professional Python programmer.