codewhich is then run by the python virtual machine your code is automatically compiledbut then it is interpreted pvm sounds more impressive than it isreallyit' not separate programand it need not be installed by itself in factthe pvm is just big code loop that iterates through your byte code instructionsone by oneto carry out their operations the pvm is the runtime engine of pythonit' always present as part of the python systemand it' the component that truly runs your scripts technicallyit' just the last step of what is called the "python interpreter figure - illustrates the runtime structure described here keep in mind that all of this complexity is deliberately hidden from python programmers byte code compilation is automaticand the pvm is just part of the python system that you have installed on your machine againprogrammers simply code and run files of statementsand python handles the logistics of running them performance implications readers with background in fully compiled languages such as and +might notice few differences in the python model for one thingthere is usually no build or "makestep in python workcode runs immediately after it is written for anotherpython byte code is not binary machine code ( instructions for an intel or arm chipbyte code is python-specific representation this is why some python code may not run as fast as or +codeas described in --the pvm loopnot the cpu chipstill must interpret the byte codeand byte code instructions require more work than cpu instructions on the other handunlike in classic interpretersthere is still an internal compile step--python does not need to reanalyze and reparse each source statement' text repeatedly the net effect is that pure python code runs at speeds somewhere between those of traditional compiled language and traditional interpreted language see for more on python performance tradeoffs development implications another ramification of python' execution model is that there is really no distinction between the development and execution environments that isthe systems that compile and execute your source code are really one and the same this similarity may have how python runs programs