A newly announced documentary brings Python’s history and culture to the screen, offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at the people and philosophies that shaped it. Meanwhile, new releases and PEPs continue to drive the evolution in packaging and language design.
Conferences also continue to foster inclusion, learning, and connection. With new leadership at the PSF and a slate of impactful updates, the Python community is clearly energized and looking ahead.
Let’s dive into the biggest developments shaping Python this month.
Python Documentary Trailer Released
CultRepo, formerly known as Honeypot, has unveiled the trailer for its upcoming feature-length documentary Python: The Documentary, set to premiere on YouTube later this year. Known for high-quality open-source origin stories like those of Vue.js, React, and Node.js, CultRepo is returning to form with a long-awaited tribute to our beloved programming language.
The documentary promises a deep dive into Python’s cultural and technical journey, featuring interviews with key contributors including Guido van Rossum, Mariatta Wijaya, Brett Cannon, and many others who’ve shaped Python’s legacy.
The trailer generated buzz across social media and the Python community after debuting at PyCon US. In the first 15 hours alone, it racked up over 35,000 YouTube views.
Python 3.14.0 Beta Feature Freeze Begins
After a busy alpha cycle, Python 3.14 has entered beta with the release of versions 3.14.0b1 and 3.14.0b2. This milestone marks the feature freeze, shifting the development focus to bug fixes, polish, and documentation ahead of the final release in October 2025.
Python 3.14 is shaping up to be a feature-packed release. Highlights include:
- Template strings for safer string processing, allowing expressions like
t"Hello {name}"to capture string components and interpolated values as structured data before formatting. This allows for custom processing and helps prevent injection attacks in templating scenarios. - Deferred annotations as the new default, meaning type hints are stored as strings rather than evaluated immediately. This reduces import overhead and allows forward references without using quotes.
- Sigstore replacing PGP for release verification, offering a modern, keyless signing approach that leverages certificate transparency and removes the complexity of key management that has long hindered PGP adoption.
- Enhanced JIT compiler with continued improvements to the copy-and-patch technique introduced in Python 3.13, providing performance changes ranging from 10% slower to 20% faster depending on workload.
- Safe external debugger interface enabling
pdbto attach to running Python processes by process ID, allowing real-time debugging of live applications without stopping or restarting them.
The timeline remains on track for the final release in October 2025, with additional beta releases expected throughout the summer. Users can expect improved startup performance, better type checking capabilities, and enhanced security verification processes.
You can preview the upcoming changes by installing the beta release in an isolated environment, and help improve Python 3.14 by reporting bugs or compatibility issues.
Three Accepted PEPs Tackle Typing, Installation, and Compression
As Python 3.14 nears completion, several new PEPs have been accepted that further modernize the language in areas such as annotations, the Python Installation Manager for Windows, and compression formats.
PEP 749: Introspecting Annotations
PEP 749 introduces a new standard library module, annotationlib, designed to streamline the process of introspecting function and class annotations. In Python 3.14, postponed evaluation of annotations becomes the default, meaning they’re no longer stored as raw strings. Instead, annotationlib.get_annotations() provides a future-proof, unified way to evaluate and access annotations as actual Python objects—safely and accurately.
This change addresses long-standing issues where developers had to manually handle string-based annotations or deal with import-time evaluation problems. For example, instead of wrestling with typing.get_type_hints() complexities, you can write code like this:
from annotationlib import get_annotations
def example(x: int, y: "ForwardRef") -> str:
return str(x)
annotations = get_annotations(example)
This is particularly crucial for frameworks like FastAPI and Pydantic, which heavily rely on type annotations for request validation, serialization, and API documentation generation. The new system eliminates the fragile string parsing that these libraries currently perform, making them more reliable and performant.
The new module supersedes existing tools like typing.get_type_hints() and inspect.get_annotations() in several respects:
- Preserves the original annotation expressions
- Supports evaluation using the
__future__import mechanism - Enables robust handling of forward references
This change lays the groundwork for more reliable type checking and runtime reflection for libraries that rely heavily on annotation metadata.
PEP 773: A Python Installation Manager for Windows
PEP 773 introduces PyManager, a comprehensive Python installation manager for Windows that aims to replace the current variety of installation methods with a single, unified tool. This significant change addresses long-standing issues with Python installation on Windows while preserving the flexibility users expect.
The new system consolidates three existing approaches—the traditional installer, Windows Store packages, and embeddable distributions—into one streamlined solution. PyManager will be distributed through both the Windows Store and python.org as an MSIX package, ensuring accessibility for all users.
Key features of PyManager include:
- Unified command interface: The
pythoncommand becomes the recommended way to launch Python, whilepyhandles version management. - Automatic installation: Running
pythonwith no Python installed will automatically install the latest version. - Version management: Simple commands like
py install 3.13andpy listmake managing multiple Python versions straightforward. - Side-by-side installations: Multiple Python versions can coexist without conflicts.
- No PATH pollution: The system avoids the common PATH environment variable issues.
The command structure outlined in the PEP looks like this:
| Purpose | Command |
|---|---|
| Install a specific version | py install 3.13 |
| List all installed versions | py list |
| Uninstall a version | py uninstall 3.12 |
| Run a specific version | py -V:3.13 script.py |
This change represents a major improvement in Windows Python deployment, addressing reliability issues with the aging Windows Installer technology while providing a modern, maintainable solution. The traditional .exe installer will be deprecated over a two-year period, giving users ample time to transition.
If you’re a Windows user, then this is probably good news for you. If you want to freshen up your knowledge on how to install Python on Windows, then you can check out the Windows setup guide for Python.
PEP 784: Bringing Zstandard to the Standard Library
PEP 784 proposes adding the Zstandard compression algorithm (Zstd) to the Python standard library via a new zstd module. Zstandard is already widely adopted due to its impressive combination of compression ratio, speed, and flexibility—making it especially suitable for large datasets and systems programming.
Note: Zstandard incorporates asymmetric numeral systems (ANS), a groundbreaking entropy coding method invented by Professor Jarosław Duda, who deliberately chose not to patent his work to benefit humanity.
Python already supports gzip, bz2, and lzma, but Zstandard brings several notable advantages:
- Faster decompression speed
- Better compression ratios in many real-world scenarios
- Efficient dictionary support for small-file scenarios
The discussion around PEP 784 emphasized long-term maintainability. The chosen implementation will wrap Facebook’s zstd C library, similar to how lzma wraps liblzma. This addition aligns Python with modern storage and archival use cases across data science, DevOps, and web development.
Textualize Closes, Open Source Lives On
In a bittersweet update, Textualize, the company behind the modern TUI framework Textual, is shutting down. Founder Will McGugan announced the closure but reassured developers that the open-source project will continue.
Over the past few years, Textualize brought interactive UIs to the terminal using Python and tools like Rich. While monetizing developer tooling proved difficult, McGugan plans to continue working on open-source projects and experimenting with creative Python-based interfaces.
You can read more about the transition in his personal blog and the official Textual announcement.
DjangoCon Attracts Developers and Podcast Hosts
Dublin hosted this year’s DjangoCon Europe in late April, bringing together Django developers from around the world for a warm, inclusive, and technically rich experience.
As always, lightning talks were a crowd favorite, and community sprints offered opportunities for new contributors to get involved in Django development. Travel grants and first-time speaker slots underscored the conference’s commitment to inclusion.
Coinciding with the event, the Django team released security patches for versions 5.2.1, 5.1.9 and 4.2.21. Developers are encouraged to upgrade to the latest versions to stay protected.
To get an impression of the cheerful crowd that was present at DjangoCon, listen to the 250th episode of The Real Python Podcast, which was recorded live in front of an audience in Dublin.
The PyCon US 2025 Talks Are Online
PyCon US 2025, held in Pittsburgh from May 14 to 22, was a celebration of Python’s breadth and depth. If you couldn’t attend in person, the recordings are now available.
Real Python contributor Rodrigo Girão Serrão shared his personal highlights, including a focus on practical learning and hallway track serendipity.
Loren Crary Promoted to PSF Deputy Executive Director
The Python Software Foundation (PSF) has announced that Loren Crary has been promoted to Deputy Executive Director, following a unanimous decision by the PSF Board of Directors. Loren transitions into this expanded role after previously serving as the PSF’s Director of Resource Development, where she significantly expanded fundraising efforts and deepened engagement across the community.
In her new capacity, Loren will continue to bolster strategic planning and budgeting processes while supporting the PSF’s Program Director with PyCon US planning and execution. She’ll also maintain her stewardship of the PSF’s revenue streams, including sponsorships and the development of new revenue channels, and collaborate across the organization on community initiatives and communications.
The Board expressed strong confidence in her leadership, citing her collaborative approach, deep commitment to open-source values, and proven ability to build bridges across diverse stakeholders. Executive Director Deb Nicholson praised Crary’s willingness to learn and grow, noting how valuable this is for organizations like the PSF.
You can read more in the official PSF blog post and learn about Loren’s background on the PSF staff page.
What’s Next for Python?
As summer begins, Python finds itself at a vibrant intersection of retrospection and renewal. The upcoming documentary from CultRepo offers a cultural deep dive into the language’s evolution, just as Python 3.14’s feature freeze brings clarity to what lies ahead. New PEPs reflect the community’s ongoing drive for modernity, usability, and performance.
While some changes—like the closure of Textualize—mark transitions, the commitment to open-source continuity remains strong. Community events and foundation updates highlight a shared investment in Python’s inclusive and global future.
