• Cython

Cython: C-Extensions for Python, Wiki

This is a wiki for anything related to the Cython or Pyrex projects.

Cython is a language that makes writing C extensions for the Python language as easy as Python itself.

Cython is based on the well-known Pyrex, but supports more cutting edge functionality and optimizations.

Development of Cython is mainly motivated by the needs of SAGE.

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Quick Links

• The Cython FAQ

• Release History and older versions.

• Documentation

• Example (Mandelbrot fractal)

• Bug and Feature Tracker

• Mercurial Repository (and Change Log)

• Cython Installers

  • PyPi via easy_install

  • Gentoo Ebuild (very old)

  • Debian package (not always up to date)

  • Installing Cython on Windows

• Differences between Cython and Pyrex

• Unsupported Python features (aka TODO list)

• Hacker-Guide: How to work on the Cython compiler itself

• Enhancement proposals

• Tips and Tricks

  • Getting started

  • Tutorial for NumPy users

  • Using early binding techniques to improve speed

  • Writing Cython programs in pure Python

  • Helpful notes for wrapping C++ APIs

  • Discussion of all the options how to wrap C/C++ code to Python

  • Helpful notes for accessing numpy arrays from C

  • Automatically convert range(...) to from .. <= .. < ..

  • WritingFastPyrexCode

  • Successful creation of a hierarchy of modules in a package

  • One method for source-level debugging

  • Dynamic Memory Allocation (malloc, realloc, free)

  • Profiling

  • Building a Windows Installer

  • Embedding Python to create standalone Cython programs.

• Projects using Cython

• Comparison with SWIG

People

Stefan Behnel, Robert Bradshaw, Dag Seljebotn, Lisandro Dalcin, William Stein, Gary Furnish.

Mailing Lists

Our primary mailing list cython-dev is hosted at codespeak.net. This list is open for user questions as well as developer discussion.

In the past we also used a Google group and a list at BerliOS Developer. You can still read the archives at Gmane.

Project Goals

• Fully supported easy-to-use test suite: (see this post).

• EasyInstall support

• Put all the official Pyrex documentation into a latex document, clean it up, and augment it with discussion of all Cython-specific extensions. Make sure the examples are plenty and can be automatically tested.
• Make Cython part of the standard distribution of Python (like ctypes).
• Compile all Python code except for possibly some obvious exclusions, which will be worked out by developers.
• Very fast when the user explicitly declares types (but we're not going to make promises with type inference). Precise benchmarks.
• Mitigate or eliminate the need for users to invoke the Python/C API directly without sacrificing performance.

Documentation

• See http://docs.cython.org/.

• Official Pyrex Language Overview (note the changes though).

  • Extension Types

  • Sharing Declarations Between Pyrex Modules

  • FAQ

  • Quick Guide to Pyrex from Michael JasonSmith.

• CategoryCythonDoc lists pages that are related to Cython documentation.

• Pure Python mode

• SAGE Days 4 talk highlighting some of the differences between Pyrex and SageX (the predecessor of Cython).

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