Glossary of Python Terms#

Code Formatter#

Code Formatters like ruff, black, yapf, and autopep8 are tools that automatically modify code to conform to a particular style guide. They help ensure that code looks consistent across multiple developers (e.g. indentation, spacing, etc.)

Linter#

Linters like ruff, flake8, and pylint are tools that analyze code to find potential problems. They help ensure that code is correct and consistent across multiple developers (e.g. unused imports, undefined variables, etc.). Generally speaking, linters do not modify code, but instead report problems that need to be fixed (though some linters like ruff or autoflake can also autofix some problems).

Build System#

A tool used to package a Python project into a distributable format such as a wheel or source distribution ("sdist"). Examples include setuptools, poetry, hatchling, etc.

Python Enhancement Proposal (PEP)#

A design document providing information to the Python community, or describing a new feature for Python or its processes or environment. PEPs provide a concise technical specification of the feature and a rationale for the feature. (See What is a PEP? for details.)