Python/C API reference manual

This manual documents the API used by C and C++ programmers who want to write extension modules or embed Python. It is a companion to Extending and Embedding the Python Interpreter, which describes the general principles of extension writing but does not document the API functions in detail.

• Introduction
  • Language version compatibility
  • Coding standards
  • Include Files
  • Useful macros
  • Objects, Types and Reference Counts
  • Exceptions
  • Embedding Python
  • Debugging Builds
  • Recommended third party tools
• C API and ABI Stability
  • Unstable C API
  • Stable Application Binary Interface
  • Platform Considerations
  • ABI Checking
  • Contents of Limited API
• The Very High Level Layer
  • Available start symbols
  • Stack Effects
• Reference Counting
• Exception Handling
  • Printing and clearing
  • Raising exceptions
  • Issuing warnings
  • Querying the error indicator
  • Signal Handling
  • Exception Classes
  • Exception Objects
  • Unicode Exception Objects
  • Recursion Control
  • Exception and warning types
  • Tracebacks
• Defining extension modules
  • Extension export hook
  • Multi-phase initialization
  • Multiple module instances
  • PyInit function
• Utilities
  • Operating System Utilities
  • System Functions
  • Process Control
  • Importing Modules
  • Data marshalling support
  • Parsing arguments and building values
  • String conversion and formatting
  • Character classification and conversion
  • PyHash API
  • Reflection
  • Codec registry and support functions
  • PyTime C API
  • Support for Perf Maps
• Abstract Objects Layer
  • Object Protocol
  • Call Protocol
  • Number Protocol
  • Sequence Protocol
  • Mapping Protocol
  • Iterator Protocol
  • Buffer Protocol
• Concrete Objects Layer
  • Fundamental Objects
  • Numeric Objects
  • Sequence Objects
  • Container Objects
  • Function Objects
  • Other Objects
  • C API for extension modules
• Interpreter initialization and finalization
  • Before Python initialization
  • Global configuration variables
  • Initializing and finalizing the interpreter
  • Cautions regarding runtime finalization
  • Process-wide parameters
• Thread states and the global interpreter lock
  • Detaching the thread state from extension code
  • Non-Python created threads
  • Supporting subinterpreters in non-Python threads
  • Cautions about fork()
  • High-level APIs
  • GIL-state APIs
  • Low-level APIs
• Asynchronous notifications
• Operating system thread APIs
• Synchronization primitives
  • Python critical section API
  • Legacy locking APIs
• Thread-local storage support
  • Thread-specific storage API
  • Dynamic allocation
  • Methods
  • Legacy APIs
• Multiple interpreters in a Python process
  • A per-interpreter GIL
  • Bugs and caveats
  • High-level APIs
  • Low-level APIs
  • Advanced debugger support
• Profiling and tracing
• Reference tracing
• Python Initialization Configuration
  • PyInitConfig C API
  • Configuration Options
  • Runtime Python configuration API
  • PyConfig C API
  • Py_GetArgcArgv()
  • Delaying main module execution
• Memory Management
  • Overview
  • Allocator Domains
  • Raw Memory Interface
  • Memory Interface
  • Object allocators
  • Default Memory Allocators
  • Customize Memory Allocators
  • Debug hooks on the Python memory allocators
  • The pymalloc allocator
  • The mimalloc allocator
  • tracemalloc C API
  • Examples
• Object Implementation Support
  • Allocating Objects on the Heap
  • Object Life Cycle
  • Common Object Structures
  • Type Object Structures
  • Supporting Cyclic Garbage Collection
• API and ABI Versioning
  • Build-time version constants
  • Run-time version
  • Bit-packing macros
• Monitoring C API
• Generating Execution Events
  • Managing the Monitoring State