Python Tutorial | Learn Python Programming Language
This Python tutorial helps you learn the Python programming language, whether you're a beginner or a professional. It covers what Python is, why it's so widely used, its main use cases, who created it, and the key differences between Python 2 and Python 3.
What is Python?
Python is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted programming language known for its clean, readable syntax. It supports multiple programming styles — procedural, object-oriented, and functional — which lets developers pick the approach that fits their problem best.
Python emphasizes code readability, using indentation instead of braces to define code blocks. This makes Python code easy to read and write, which is one of the biggest reasons it's often recommended as a first programming language.
Who Created Python?
Python was created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991. He began developing it in the late 1980s at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) in the Netherlands, as a successor to the ABC language, aiming for a language that was both powerful and easy to read.
Python Hello World Program
In this tutorial, all Python programs are given with a Python interpreter. If you want to make changes to the program, you can do it easily.
print("Hello, World!")Why Is Python So Popular?
Python's popularity comes down to a few consistent strengths that keep it near the top of every major language ranking.
- Readable, beginner-friendly syntax — code reads almost like plain English, lowering the barrier to entry.
- Huge standard library and ecosystem — package managers like pip give access to hundreds of thousands of third-party libraries.
- Large, active community — extensive documentation, tutorials, and community support make problems easier to solve.
- Versatility — the same language scales from a five-line script to large production systems.
- Strong industry backing — major frameworks and tools (Django, Flask, NumPy, PyTorch, TensorFlow) are built and maintained in Python, keeping it central to modern software and AI development.
Python Use Cases
Python's versatility means it's rarely tied to just one type of work. Here are its most common real-world use cases.
1) Web Development
Python is widely used to build websites and web applications with frameworks such as Django and Flask, which handle routing, database access, and templating so developers can focus on application logic rather than boilerplate.
2) Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Python is the dominant language in AI and machine learning, thanks to libraries such as NumPy, pandas, scikit-learn, PyTorch, and TensorFlow. Its simple syntax lets researchers and engineers prototype and iterate on models quickly.
3) Automation and Scripting
Python is commonly used to automate repetitive tasks — file handling, web scraping, testing, and system administration — through simple scripts that would take far more code in a lower-level language.
4) Data Science and Analysis
Python is a leading language for data analysis and visualization, using libraries such as pandas, Matplotlib, and Jupyter notebooks to clean, explore, and present data.
5) Other Common Uses
Beyond the categories above, Python is also used for game development (Pygame), desktop applications, and as an embedded scripting language inside larger software tools.
Python 2 vs Python 3
Python has had two major, incompatible versions in active use, though only one is still maintained today.
| Feature | Python 2 | Python 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Status | End-of-life since January 2020, no longer maintained | Actively maintained and developed |
print statement | print "Hello" (statement) | print("Hello") (function) |
| Integer division | 5 / 2 returns 2 | 5 / 2 returns 2.5; use // for floor division |
| String handling | Strings are ASCII by default (unicode type separate) | Strings are Unicode (str) by default |
| Standard library | Older, less consistent module layout | Reorganized and modernized |
| Recommended today | No — legacy code only | Yes — the current standard |
If you're starting to learn Python today, you should learn Python 3 — it's the actively developed version, and virtually all modern libraries and frameworks target it exclusively.
Prerequisite
Before learning Python Programming, you must have the basic knowledge of Computer Fundamentals.
Audience
Our Python Programming tutorial is designed to help beginners and professionals. It is suitable for students, professionals, and anyone interested in web development, automation, data science, or artificial intelligence.