runtime
Runtime is the execution environment that a program depends on while it runs. It’s the software layer, such as the Python interpreter or the Java Virtual Machine, that loads the program, manages its memory, and carries out its instructions. This layer sits between the program and the operating system, handling low-level services the program would otherwise implement itself.
A runtime manages the call stack and heap, performs garbage collection, resolves method calls, and mediates access to operating-system resources. In a dynamically typed language, it also checks types as the program executes rather than ahead of time. CPython is the reference runtime for Python, and the Java Virtual Machine fills the same role for Java.
Developers who speak of the Python runtime mean this environment, together with the standard library and supporting machinery that a running program needs. Because the runtime is what’s active while the code executes, the word also appears adverbially, as in a value computed at runtime or a failure reported as a runtime error.
Related Resources
Tutorial
Memory Management in Python
Get ready for a deep dive into the internals of Python to understand how it handles memory management. By the end of this article, you’ll know more about low-level computing, understand how Python abstracts lower-level operations, and find out about Python’s internal memory management algorithms.
For additional information on related topics, take a look at the following resources:
- Your Guide to the CPython Source Code (Tutorial)
- Python Type Checking (Guide) (Tutorial)
- What Is the Python Global Interpreter Lock (GIL)? (Tutorial)
- Understanding Python's Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) (Course)
- How Python Manages Memory (Course)
- Memory Management in Python (Quiz)
- Python Type Checking (Course)
- Python Type Checking (Quiz)
- What Is the Python Global Interpreter Lock (GIL)? (Quiz)
