Anaconda, a leading platform provider in the data science ecosystem, has taken a significant step toward advancing Python performance by hiring the lead developers of Pyston, an alternative Python runtime. With Kevin Modzelewski and Marius Wachtler on board, Anaconda aims to foster an open-source community around Pyston, ensuring its sustainability and growth. This move aligns with the overarching goal of improving Python’s performance across a broad spectrum of applications, making it a valuable asset for developers and data scientists alike.
Pyston, designed to be a high-performance fork of the standard CPython interpreter, already boasts impressive results, running Python code 20% to 50% faster on average. This performance boost is critical for computationally intensive tasks in fields such as data science, machine learning, and web development. Anaconda’s backing provides the resources and strategic support necessary to broaden Pyston’s adoption and accelerate its development, making it more accessible to the global Python community.
Future development priorities for Pyston include enhancing compatibility with existing binary Python packages and expanding support to additional hardware platforms. This approach ensures that Pyston remains versatile and integrates seamlessly into diverse development environments. Anaconda has also hinted at the potential integration of Pyston into its own tools and future projects, although this work will remain distinct from the core Pyston initiative. Such integration could pave the way for faster, more efficient workflows within the Anaconda ecosystem.
Originally developed by Dropbox from 2014 to 2017, Pyston was revived in 2020 with the release of Pyston v2. Now maintained as an open-source project under the Python Software Foundation license, Pyston represents a promising advancement in the Python ecosystem. With Anaconda’s support, Pyston is poised to gain further traction, offering developers a faster and more efficient alternative to the standard Python runtime. This collaboration underscores a shared commitment to pushing the boundaries of Python’s capabilities while maintaining its accessibility and open-source roots.