what is python

The IT Industry is booming and so are the job opportunities. In such a hullabaloo, new technologies are emerging every day. But, there is just one such technology that has proven to stand out, shine brighter and produce far better results. It is none other than PYTHON.

Yes, we are pretty sure you have heard of it but if I ask you ‘What is Python?’ Do you have the right answer? If we ask you what python does, would you be having a comprehensive solution to its use cases?

Well, in this blog, let’s dive deep into what Python is, what the functions of python are, and how it can help you get an amazing job while future-proofing your career. Make sure to read till the last, for we have a surprise coming up for you!

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What is Python?

Technically defined, Python is an object-oriented, interpreted, high-level programming language, developed by Guido van Rossum and originally released in 1991. ‘Python’ has an easy-going ring to it and so is its operation. 

Moreover, Python has a reputation for being a beginner-friendly language. This is because it has a clear and easy-to-understand syntax. This makes it easier for beginners to get hold of the syntax and learn to code faster rather than spending time memorizing the syntax.

One answer to the question of ‘What is Python’ can be that it is a language that is now replacing Java for it handles the complexity for the user, allows the newbies to focus on grasping the concepts, and produce result-driven codes.

The use case of python includes server-side web development, software development, mathematics and system scripting. Python is popular for Rapid Application Development. Did you know that

Python is also called a ‘Glue Language’ as it is also used to tie existing components? Python has made it possible because of its high-level, built-in data structures, dynamic binding and typing. 

One more reason why Python is so famous is that with its use, program maintenance costs go down. It happens due to the easily learned syntax and emphasis on readability.

Another feature that makes Python so special is that it is an open-source language; every day, hundreds and thousands of programmers are building libraries and functionalities to make it even better.

History of Python

To answer the question of ‘What is Python?’, we need to travel back the time and understand its history too.

Guido Van Rossum created Python during his tenure at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) in the Netherlands. The very initial version of Python was released in 1980 as the successor of ABC language. However, it was 1991 when the first proper version of the language, Python, 0.9.0, was released on alt.sources. 

Although Rossum was involved in the development of the ABC language, he was very frustrated with its limitations. He wanted to build an easy-to-use language that would resolve the common challenges developers were facing at that time. It took him 5 years to roll out the first version of Python programming language.

Python solved the dual purpose. It not only resolved the problems, the programmers were facing, but also had an easy-to-understand and readable syntax. The founder named this programming language ‘Python’ in honour of his favourite comedian, ‘The Pythons’ in the ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’ show.

However, Python didn’t get the limelight it deserved immediately. It was until Google announced that it has used Python for its internal development programming that Python started getting recognized for what a wonder it is.

Thereafter, many programmers and developers around the world started using Python as their primary programming language. It became so prominent that it eventually became the best programming language for any Data Science Projects, Machine Learning Algorithms, Calculations, and whatnot.

Today, Python is one of the most used programming languages in the world.

Why learn Python Programming Language?

Nowadays in the age of Artificial Intelligence and high-tech applications, having Python skills is mandatory for a developer.

Here are a number of reasons why you should start learning Python right now:

1.) Easy to learn and use

The best thing about Python is that it is easy to learn and use. Thanks to its English-like and readable syntax, beginners can easily understand the nuances of the language.

Expert Python developers say it took them 2-3 months to go from basic to advanced levels of the language. 

2.) Versatile

The multi-purpose nature of Python makes it a compulsory language for developers to learn its implementation. 

Python is used in AI, Machine learning, web app development, game development, data science, automation and more. So, if you are looking for better opportunities in these fields, you need to have Python coding skills.

3.) In-demand Skill

The AI, machine learning and data science sectors are booming like never before. Businesses operating in these sectors are actively looking for qualified Python developers. We are talking about high salaries and added benefits here.

So, if you are aspiring to build your career and climb the ladder, you should start learning Python now.

4.) Strong Community Support

Python has a minimal learning curve with strong community support. The community continuously work to make the open-source language better with libraries, frameworks, and tools. 

This makes it easier for beginners to find solutions and support in the initial stages if they are stuck anywhere.

Moreover, Python’s documentation is detailed and beginner-friendly, so you can easily understand the code.

5.) Scalability and Flexibility

Python is one such language which can be easily integrated with different platforms and other programming languages like Java and C++.

Also, you can use Python for both small scripts and complex projects making it an ideal language for all project types.

Learning Python will equip you with skills that you can use in diverse projects and enhance the overall performance of the applications.

What Jobs Can I Get With Python (With Salaries)?

Here are some of the in-demand jobs with average salaries for Python developers.

Job Title Average Salary (USD)
Python Developer $80,000 – $120,000
Data Scientist $90,000 – $130,000
Machine Learning Engineer $100,000 – $150,000
AI Engineer $100,000 – $160,000
Web Developer (Python/Django) $75,000 – $110,000
DevOps Engineer $90,000 – $140,000
Automation Engineer $80,000 – $120,000
Software Engineer $85,000 – $125,000
Data Engineer $95,000 – $140,000
Full Stack Developer $90,000 – $130,000
Cloud Engineer $95,000 – $140,000
Game Developer (Python) $75,000 – $105,000
Cybersecurity Analyst $80,000 – $120,000
Business Intelligence Analyst $85,000 – $120,000
Blockchain Developer $100,000 – $150,000

Advantages of Python Programming Language

  • Python is an open-source and free programming language which can be downloaded by anyone at zero cost.
  • It is a high-level programming language with an English-like Syntax, which is hence easy to understand for the beginners
  • Productivity is comparatively higher as the code is simple.
  • Python halts the code whenever there is an error, and keeps it over there until the code is error-free, this helps in avoiding the waste of time while creating error-free code.
  • It is a portable code, which means that you do not need to change the code while moving it onto some other platform.
  • One of the biggest advantages of python being an open-source programming language is that there are a million developers who are adding to the vast library helping others ease their work.
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Disadvantages of Python Programming Language

While the advantages of python truly overshadow the disadvantages, it won’t be fair ending this blog without addressing those. Python programming language faces some minor cons, which are:

  • It can sometimes lead to run-time errors
  • The process execution is relatively slower than the other programming languages
  • Python’s structure needs an additional memory
  • When interacting with the databases, it might not be the best choice

Advantages of Python Over Other Programming Language

Python programming language is the most preferred language by developers worldwide. Unlike other programming languages, this open-source language boasts clear syntax, a versatile framework, built-in libraries and tools that accelerate and simplify the development process.

Let’s decode why developers prefer Python over other programming languages.

1.) Python vs Ruby

Ruby is another famous programming language which is used for web development. It is majorly used to create web applications because of its great community, frameworks and libraries for doing so.

Python, on the other hand, has applications beyond count. Some of the applications of Python Programming Language are

  • Writing a web application
  • Creating scripts to clean up files in the computer
  • Usage in data science
  • Working on serverless projects
  • Animation projects
  • Teaching programming to the kids in school

 

One of the most peculiar facts about Python Programming Language is that it is a widely accepted programming language by non-programmers.

 

2.) Python vs Java

One of the major reasons why Python has become so popular is its simple syntax. Every programmer starts his programming journey by writing ‘Hello World’ in any programming language he is learning.

Let’s look at what is the difference between the syntax of this program in both Python and Java.

Java requires multiple functions and lines of code to execute ‘hello world’.

The syntax is

public class HelloWorld {

public static void main(String[] args) {

// Prints “Hello, World” to the terminal window.

System.out.println(“Hello, World”);

}

}

On the other hand, all you need in Python is just a single line of code.

The syntax is

print(“Hello, World”)

And that is it! Although syntax isn’t everything, this concept generally holds true for the majority of programs.

Syntax of Python

Python is just another programming language if you don’t understand the syntax of the same. So, let’s have a look at Python Syntax.

  • Python is built for readability, with a syntax similar to the English language, along with some mathematical influence.
  • It defines scopes like loops, functions, classes, etc by relying upon indentations and using white spaces, rather than braces.
  • Most developers commit errors with semicolons. Python, instead of using a semicolon, to start a new function, uses a new line for the same.

 

Which Frameworks Can I Use With Python?

The reason why Python is the world’s most advanced programming language is its bundle of libraries. These libraries simplify and accelerate the development process. Plus, they are tailored to cater to different project needs. So, you have a bundle of top-notch tools to choose from depending on the project you are working on.

Here are some of the common Python libraries for different types of projects.

Web Applications

For web app development, you have several libraries that enable you to build robust and feature-rich applications with ease. It includes Django, Flask, FastAPI, Pyramid and more.

Django is a full-stack framework that’s best suited for complex web applications. Flask is a lightweight framework which gives developers the flexibility to add features to their web applications as needed.

Data Science and Machine Learning

When it comes to AI, ML and data science, there is no better programming language than Python. The frameworks are designed to simplify machine learning model development tasks, data analysis, visualization and more.

The most popular frameworks are TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-Learn, Pandas and NumPy.

Game Development

Credit to the high-end frameworks, developers love Python for developing graphic-rich games. You can use Pygame and Panda3D to develop high-definition games with alluring visualization and features.

Blockchain Development

The application of Python isn’t limited to AI and ML, it is also used in the development of blockchain and decentralized applications. Popular frameworks in the web3 domain include Web3.py and PyCryptodome.

DevOps and Cloud Integration

Python is preferred by senior developers when working on any cloud integration projects. Frameworks like Ansible and Fabric automate IT and SSH tasks for app deployment and configuration management.

Use Cases of Python Programming Language

There are multiple uses of Python. Let’s talk about some of them in brief.

1.) AI and Machine Learning

All thanks to the simple and easy-to-understand syntaxes, Python is considered the best programming language for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).

2.) Data Analytics

Python has been used to create some of the most popular data mining and analytics tools. Hence, it can be said that it is an excellent tool for data science. Not only the big data, Python can also help organizations learn more about themselves, their offerings and their customers.

3.) Web Development

Python is a versatile backend programming language. Its simplicity is its key factor. Due to its vast usage, there are a number of frameworks that can be used for backend development including Django.

4.) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Python also helps SEO professionals automate their tasks and helps them in extracting and analyzing large amounts of data. Python programming language can be used to identify broken links, automate solutions and remove human error.

5.) Blockchain

Along with some of the most prominent programming languages used for blockchain development, like Javascript, C++, Java, and more, Python is giving them tough competition. Python has high flexibility and functionality, reinforced by its security, which makes it the best choice for the blockchain industry.

6.) Game Development

Python might not be the most popular programming language when it comes to game development, but it is still incredibly useful, owing to its simplicity. Python can be used to build prototypes and develop ideas.

7.) Automation

One of the most popular uses of Python is automation. It can interact with huge sets of data and automate human tasks avoiding any kind of errors. Learning Python programming language would not just save you time, but help you throughout your life.

Python Libraries Across Real-world Applications

Application Area Popular Python Libraries
Web Development – Django, Flask, FastAPI, Pyramid
Data Science – Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib, Seaborn
Machine Learning – Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch
Artificial Intelligence – TensorFlow, PyTorch, OpenAI Gym, NLTK, SpaCy
Data Visualization – Matplotlib, Seaborn, Plotly, Bokeh
Automation & Scripting – Selenium, Beautiful Soup, PyAutoGUI, Paramiko
Game Development – Pygame, Panda3D
GUI Development – Tkinter, PyQt, Kivy
Web Scraping – Beautiful Soup, Scrapy, Selenium
Big Data & Analytics – PySpark, Dask, Vaex
DevOps & Automation – Fabric, Ansible, SaltStack
Cybersecurity – Scapy, Paramiko, Cryptography
Testing – Unittest, PyTest, Behave
Blockchain Development – Web3.py, PyCryptodome
Natural Language Processing – NLTK, SpaCy, TextBlob, Gensim
Cloud Computing & Integration – Boto3 (AWS), Google Cloud SDK (google-cloud-storage), Azure SDK
Asynchronous Programming – Asyncio, Twisted, Tornado
Robotics and IoT – Robot Framework, PySerial, MicroPython
Scientific Computing – SciPy, SymPy, NumPy
Computer Vision – OpenCV, PIL, Scikit-Image
Financial Analysis – PyAlgoTrade, Zipline, QuantLib
Audio and Signal Processing – PyDub, LibROSA, wave

Why Was Python Created?

Python was created as a replacement for ABC language and to resolve its limitations. Though ABC language has prominent features, its drawbacks were restricting its widespread adoption.

Some of its limitations that encouraged Guido Van Rossum to create Python were:

  • One of the major disadvantages with ABC language was that developers could not add new features or libraries which made it less flexible for real-world use cases.
  • Another drawback was that you could not integrate ABC with third-party language, system or software components.
  • Also, with ABC, you did not have access to the operating system. This made it difficult for developers to use the language for projects that required system-level access.
  • ABC lacked a large user base or community. Developers could not get access to support, libraries, or tools, things that make a language attractive for adoption.

These limitations of ABC language irritated Guido to the point where he created Python which is known for its high performance, versatility, module system, object-oriented design and is supported by a large community of contributors.

Which companies use Python Programming Language?

Here is a list of top companies which use Python in their daily tasks. You might be surprised to see some of the names here on the list!

  • Google
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Dropbox
  • Spotify
  • Reddit
  • Uber
  • Netflix

How to learn Python easily?

Python is the programming language which is easiest of them all. It has a simple format, English-like syntax, and high flexibility. Here are some tips on how to learn Python easily.

  • Code regularly

Needless to say that practice makes a man perfect. It develops muscle memory and helps in avoiding silly mistakes.

  • Use Pen and Paper

Anything written by hand has high retention. While practising makes sure to use pen and paper as it would work in subconscious training for codes.

  • Program as pair

One’s a loner, two’s a team. Find yourself a friend or learner who wants to learn this programing language. One should be the ‘driver’ and the other should be the ‘navigator’. The Diver writes the code and the Navigator helps in solving the problems and ensures the code is error-free. Swap the roles from time to time to learn at the best pace.

  • Build new things

There are a lot of short exercises for python beginners. Start creating various programs with Python. This will make your output oriented.

The Best Way To Learn Python

The easiest way to learn Python is to enrol in an online course. And what’s better than the Kochiva Python language course vetted by experienced professionals and trusted by developers who have grabbed high-package jobs after completing the course?

Learn Python with Kochiva’s Python language course and get your dream job.

Final Comments

Python is the programming language of the future. It has wide usability, prominent use cases, and ease of adaptability. Become a Python developer with Kochiva and secure your future from tech threats. With an industry-led curriculum and mentorship from Industry veterans, Kochiva shall ensure that the right skills are imbibed in you and that you are ready for placements.

Want more information, contact Kochiva now!

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