Python Interview Questions
The Python virtual machine, bytecode, and the __pycache__ bytecode cache.
Ans
The Python virtual machine is the runtime component that executes Python bytecode in implementations such as CPython.
Example
textsource -> bytecode -> runtime execution
Important Point
The term does not mean Python runs inside the Java JVM; Python has its own runtime implementations.
Ans
Python bytecode is an intermediate instruction representation generated from source code and consumed by the Python runtime. CPython may cache compiled bytecode in __pycache__.
Example
textmodule.py -> compiled bytecode -> runtime
Important Point
Bytecode format is implementation/version dependent and should not be treated as a stable cross-version format.
Ans
__pycache__ commonly stores cached bytecode files for imported modules in CPython, helping avoid recompiling unchanged source every time.
Example
textproject/ module.py __pycache__/
Important Point
It is generated runtime/build metadata and normally should not be committed to source control.