Python Interpreter Performance Deconstructed
Gergö Barany · 2014
The Python programming language is known for performing poorly on many tasks. While to some extent this is to be expected from a dynamic language, it is not clear how much each dynamic feature contributes to the costs of interpreting Python. In this study we attempt to quantify the costs of language features such as dynamic typing, reference counting for memory management, boxing of numbers, and late binding of function calls.