1.. _library-index:
2
3###############################
4  The Python Standard Library
5###############################
6
7While :ref:`reference-index` describes the exact syntax and
8semantics of the Python language, this library reference manual
9describes the standard library that is distributed with Python. It also
10describes some of the optional components that are commonly included
11in Python distributions.
12
13Python's standard library is very extensive, offering a wide range of
14facilities as indicated by the long table of contents listed below. The
15library contains built-in modules (written in C) that provide access to
16system functionality such as file I/O that would otherwise be
17inaccessible to Python programmers, as well as modules written in Python
18that provide standardized solutions for many problems that occur in
19everyday programming. Some of these modules are explicitly designed to
20encourage and enhance the portability of Python programs by abstracting
21away platform-specifics into platform-neutral APIs.
22
23The Python installers for the Windows platform usually include
24the entire standard library and often also include many additional
25components. For Unix-like operating systems Python is normally provided
26as a collection of packages, so it may be necessary to use the packaging
27tools provided with the operating system to obtain some or all of the
28optional components.
29
30In addition to the standard library, there is a growing collection of
31several thousand components (from individual programs and modules to
32packages and entire application development frameworks), available from
33the `Python Package Index <https://pypi.org>`_.
34
35.. We don't use :numbered: option for the TOC below as it enforces
36   numbered sections for the entire stdlib docs.  If desired,
37   :numbered: can be enabled on a per-module basis.
38.. toctree::
39   :maxdepth: 2
40
41   intro.rst
42   functions.rst
43   constants.rst
44   stdtypes.rst
45   exceptions.rst
46
47   text.rst
48   binary.rst
49   datatypes.rst
50   numeric.rst
51   functional.rst
52   filesys.rst
53   persistence.rst
54   archiving.rst
55   fileformats.rst
56   crypto.rst
57   allos.rst
58   concurrency.rst
59   contextvars.rst
60   ipc.rst
61   netdata.rst
62   markup.rst
63   internet.rst
64   mm.rst
65   i18n.rst
66   frameworks.rst
67   tk.rst
68   development.rst
69   debug.rst
70   distribution.rst
71   python.rst
72   custominterp.rst
73   modules.rst
74   language.rst
75   misc.rst
76   windows.rst
77   unix.rst
78   superseded.rst
79   undoc.rst
80