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interpreter shutdown

In Python, interpreter shutdown refers to the process that occurs when the Python interpreter is terminating. This happens when your Python program finishes execution or when you explicitly call sys.exit() or raise a SystemExit exception.

During shutdown, the interpreter cleans up resources, such as closing open files, releasing memory, and garbage-collecting objects. This process ensures that the environment is left in a clean state. However, the order in which objects are finalized during shutdown is not guaranteed. Developers should use context managers or atexit handlers for critical cleanup rather than relying on __del__.

Tutorial

Your Guide to the CPython Source Code

In this detailed Python tutorial, you'll explore the CPython source code. By following this step-by-step walkthrough, you'll take a deep dive into how the CPython compiler works and how your Python code gets executed.

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By Leodanis Pozo Ramos • Updated March 10, 2026 • Reviewed by Dan Bader