Python GIL

Discussions center on Python's Global Interpreter Lock (GIL), its limitations for multithreading and parallelism, efforts to remove it, performance impacts, and alternatives like multiprocessing.

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Keywords

e.g CPU GC PyPy sys.path BTW GIL PR wikipedia.org IO gil python threads parallelism threaded threading multi parallel interpreter perl

Sample Comments

PaulHoule Mar 26, 2023 View on HN

That answer about the GIL is wrong, BTW.

swader999 Sep 17, 2021 View on HN

You still have the GIL in python to overcome.

rpeden Jul 8, 2023 View on HN

PyPy has a GIL, so it wouldn't solve this particular issue.

ernst_klim Dec 22, 2021 View on HN

Python still has GIL and it's definitely more practical and widely adopted.

mrfusion May 28, 2017 View on HN

Can Python copy how other languages like golang or java operate without a Gil? Why or why not?

smanek Jan 6, 2010 View on HN

Why were threads inadequate? (There's no GIL in most implementations, IIRC).

amelius Mar 21, 2019 View on HN

Yes, but it's very easy to hit a number crunching operation that locks the GIL.

miohtama Sep 3, 2025 View on HN

The GIL is optional in new Python versions. Downsides are legacy library compatibility and degraded single thread performance.

ollien Mar 11, 2024 View on HN

How do single-threaded programs benefit from a lack of GIL?

inklesspen Sep 17, 2008 View on HN

There's a branch of Python that removed the GIL. On single-threaded stuff, it's slower than regular Python.