Boost C++ Libraries

...one of the most highly regarded and expertly designed C++ library projects in the world. Herb Sutter and Andrei Alexandrescu, C++ Coding Standards

PrevUpHomeNext

Background

There are two basic models for combining C++ and Python:

The key distinction between extending and embedding is the location of the C++ main() function: in the Python interpreter executable, or in some other program, respectively. Note that even when embedding Python in another program, extension modules are often the best way to make C/C++ functionality accessible to Python code, so the use of extension modules is really at the heart of both models.

Except in rare cases, extension modules are built as dynamically-loaded libraries with a single entry point, which means you can change them without rebuilding either the other extension modules or the executable containing main().


PrevUpHomeNext