Real Python Podcast E301 Title Image

Episode 301: Running Python Locally in a Sandbox

The Real Python Podcast

How do you avoid the risk of running a Python application locally that could be malicious, break your code, or leak private data? How can you create a sandboxed local environment using WASM and MicroPython? Christopher Trudeau is back on the show this week with another batch of PyCoder’s Weekly articles and projects.

Episode Sponsor:

We cover a recent article by previous guest Simon Willison titled “Running Python code in a sandbox with MicroPython and WASM.” Simon has been experimenting for years on how to run Python code in a sandbox to reduce the risk of trying out new software, untrusted libraries, and wild ideas. He’s developed a solution using WASM and MicroPython and is sharing it as an alpha package on PyPI.

We also share other articles and projects from the Python community, including new releases, community announcements, a roundup of recent Real Python tutorials and video courses, a plugin case study using Pluggy, a look at whether you’re expected to run five type-checkers now, wrapping programs using the subprocess module, a project for star charts and maps, and a tool for trend detection in Python.

This episode is sponsored by DataDriven.

Topics:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction
  • 00:02:48 – PSF Board Election Dates for 2026
  • 00:03:28 – Python 3.15.0 beta 3 is here!
  • 00:03:58 – PEP 835: Shorthand Syntax for Annotated Type Metadata
  • 00:05:13 – Announcing the Search for a DSF Executive Director
  • 00:05:53 – Django 6.1 beta 1 released
  • 00:06:24 – PyData London 26 Videos Released
  • 00:06:50 – Implementing Interfaces in Python: ABCs and Protocols
  • 00:07:36 – Building Python Skills for the Job Market
  • 00:08:21 – Context Engineering for Python Codebases
  • 00:09:14 – Python for Data Analysis: A Practical Guide
  • 00:09:47 – Using LlamaIndex for RAG in Python
  • 00:10:07 – Django Tasks: Exploring the Built-in Tasks Framework
  • 00:10:59 – Plugins Case Study: Pluggy
  • 00:15:10 – Sponsor: DataDriven
  • 00:15:57 – Pyodide 314.0 Release
  • 00:18:54 – Python in a Sandbox With MicroPython and WASM
  • 00:22:35 – The subprocess Module: Wrapping Programs With Python
  • 00:30:08 – Spotlight: Codex for Python Developers
  • 00:31:51 – Are You Expected to Run 5 Type-Checkers Now?
  • 00:39:41 – starplot: ✨ Star charts and maps in Python
  • 00:42:01 – marimo-tutorials: Collection of Marimo Tutorials
  • 00:42:48 – pytrendy: Trend Detection in Python
  • 00:44:35 – Thanks and goodbye

News:

Real Python News:

Topics:

  • Plugins Case Study: PluggyPluggy is an open source plugin system used by frameworks such as pytest and tox. This article introduces you to how it works and what you can do with it.
  • Pyodide 314.0 Release – This post announces the Pyodide 314.0 release and describes its features, including a focus on standardization and packaging. You can now build Pyodide wheels and post them to PyPI.
  • Python in a Sandbox With MicroPython and WASM – Simon’s been in search of the perfect code sandbox. This article is about his latest attempt and covers why he wants a sandbox and what tech he’s used to achieve it.
  • The subprocess Module: Wrapping Programs With Python – Python’s subprocess module allows you to run shell commands and manage external processes directly from your Python code. By using subprocess, you can execute shell commands like ls or dir, launch applications, and handle both input and output streams.
  • Are You Expected to Run 5 Type-Checkers Now? – Library maintainers may feel overwhelmed by the plurality of type checkers that exist. We offer some guidance on how to focus their efforts where they matter most.

Projects:

Additional Links: