API and ABI Versioning

Build-time version constants

CPython exposes its version number in the following macros. Note that these correspond to the version code is built with. See Py_Version for the version used at run time.

See C API Stability for a discussion of API and ABI stability across versions.

PY_MAJOR_VERSION

The 3 in 3.4.1a2.

PY_MINOR_VERSION

The 4 in 3.4.1a2.

PY_MICRO_VERSION

The 1 in 3.4.1a2.

PY_RELEASE_LEVEL

The a in 3.4.1a2. This can be 0xA for alpha, 0xB for beta, 0xC for release candidate or 0xF for final.

PY_RELEASE_SERIAL

The 2 in 3.4.1a2. Zero for final releases.

PY_VERSION_HEX

The Python version number encoded in a single integer. See Py_PACK_FULL_VERSION() for the encoding details.

Use this for numeric comparisons, for example, #if PY_VERSION_HEX >= ....

Run-time version

const unsigned long Py_Version
Part of the Stable ABI since version 3.11.

The Python runtime version number encoded in a single constant integer. See Py_PACK_FULL_VERSION() for the encoding details. This contains the Python version used at run time.

Use this for numeric comparisons, for example, if (Py_Version >= ...).

Added in version 3.11.

Bit-packing macros

uint32_t Py_PACK_FULL_VERSION(int major, int minor, int micro, int release_level, int release_serial)
Part of the Stable ABI since version 3.14.

Return the given version, encoded as a single 32-bit integer with the following structure:

Argument

No. of bits

Bit mask

Bit shift

Example values

3.4.1a2

3.10.0

major

8

0xFF000000

24

0x03

0x03

minor

8

0x00FF0000

16

0x04

0x0A

micro

8

0x0000FF00

8

0x01

0x00

release_level

4

0x000000F0

4

0xA

0xF

release_serial

4

0x0000000F

0

0x2

0x0

For example:

Version

Py_PACK_FULL_VERSION arguments

Encoded version

3.4.1a2

(3, 4, 1, 0xA, 2)

0x030401a2

3.10.0

(3, 10, 0, 0xF, 0)

0x030a00f0

Out-of range bits in the arguments are ignored. That is, the macro can be defined as:

#ifndef Py_PACK_FULL_VERSION
#define Py_PACK_FULL_VERSION(X, Y, Z, LEVEL, SERIAL) ( \
   (((X) & 0xff) << 24) |                              \
   (((Y) & 0xff) << 16) |                              \
   (((Z) & 0xff) << 8) |                               \
   (((LEVEL) & 0xf) << 4) |                            \
   (((SERIAL) & 0xf) << 0))
#endif

Py_PACK_FULL_VERSION is primarily a macro, intended for use in #if directives, but it is also available as an exported function.

Added in version 3.14.

uint32_t Py_PACK_VERSION(int major, int minor)
Part of the Stable ABI since version 3.14.

Equivalent to Py_PACK_FULL_VERSION(major, minor, 0, 0, 0). The result does not correspond to any Python release, but is useful in numeric comparisons.

Added in version 3.14.