The world’s most popular programming language kicks off the new year with a wicked-fast type checker, a C code generator, and a second chance for the tail-calling interpreter. Credit: A-photographyy / Shutterstock 2026 is already popping with new Python goodies: an ultra-fast type checker from the makers of uv, Django 6, and a new way to generate C code with Python for faster-executing apps. Read on for these and other highlights. Top picks for Python readers on InfoWorld Reader picks: The most popular Python stories of 2025What a year 2025 was. From free-threaded Python to integrations with Rust and Zig, recap the Python developments in 2025 that broke new ground and point the way towards a bigger and better Python world in 2026. Python type checker ty now in betaWhat Astral’s uv did for Python package management (made it wicked fast and powerful), Astral’s ty promises to do for Python type checking. And now ty is stable enough for everyone to try. Django tutorial: Get started with Django 6The most popular and influential Python web framework marches on! Learn how to get rolling with a freshly minted Django project, including new Django 6-only features. PythoC: An alternative to CythonUse Python as a C code generation system. It’s not just a Python-to-C compiler, but a kind of advanced macro platform for code generation that Cython alone can’t deliver. More good reads and Python updates elsewhere Python’s tail-calling interpreter rides againThe tail call compiler optimization in Python 3.14 failed to deliver the anticipated speedup, prompting an apology from developer Ken Jin. However, Jin subsequently found a way to enable this feature properly on Windows x86-64 builds, with striking results. Notes on sandboxing untrusted PythonPython’s dynamism makes it difficult to run untrusted code safely. Developer Mohamed Diallo discusses some ways that Python interpreters could be made easier to isolate. Edit Python AST trees while preserving source formattingPfst is a clever Python package that performs transformations on Python abstract syntax trees while providing access to comments, formatting (e.g., linebreaks within parentheses), and more. Example use: adding type annotations to type comments. PythonProgramming LanguagesSoftware Development