Preface

Python rocks!

From the earliest version in the late 1980s to the current 3.9 version, Python has evolved with the same philosophy: providing a multi-paradigm programming language with readability and productivity in mind.

Initially, people used to see Python as yet another scripting language. Many of them didn't believe it could be used to build large and complex systems. But over the years, and thanks to some pioneer companies, it became obvious that Python could be used to build almost any kind of a software.

Although writing Python code is easy, making it readable, reusable, and easy to maintain is challenging. You can achieve those qualities only through good software artistry and technique, which you will build gradually by constantly learning and gaining experience.

This book was written to express many years of professional experience in building all kinds of applications with Python, from small system scripts done in a couple of hours to very large applications written by dozens of developers over several years.

This book is divided into three parts:

1. Knowing your tools: Chapters 1 to 4 focus on basic elements of Python programmer's toolbelt. From productivity tools, through modern environments, to the newest syntax elements introduced in the latest Python releases. It also offers a safe landing zone for programmers who have experience with other programming languages and are just starting to learn more advanced Python.
2. Building applications with Python: Chapters 5 to 9 are all about design patterns, programming paradigms, and metaprogramming techniques. We will try to build some small but useful programs and will be often taking a deeper look into application architecture. We will also go a bit beyond Python and see how we can integrate code written using other programming languages.
3. Maintaining Python applications: Chapters 10 to 13 will be discussing all the things that usually happen after the application "goes live". We will showcase tools and techniques that help to keep applications easily maintainable and show how to approach common problems with packaging, deployment, monitoring, and performance optimization.