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Getting StartedIntroduction

Edge Python is a sandboxed subset of Python. The compiler and the virtual machine are written in Rust. You write ordinary Python syntax. The compiler turns it into bytecode, and a stack VM runs it.

The same engine ships in two forms:

  • A WebAssembly binary of about 200 KB that runs in the browser.
  • A native engine built into the edge command line interface.

Sandboxed means the defaults deny everything. A program gets no file system, no network, and no environment access unless the host grants it. Imports resolve at compile time through a resolver the host injects, so a running program never loads code you did not declare.

Every runnable example in these docs executes in the real runtime. Try editing this one:

text = "the quick brown fox" words = {w: len(w) for w in text.split()} for w, n in words.items(): print(f"{w:>6} -> {n}")
Output · expected
   the -> 3
 quick -> 5
 brown -> 5
   fox -> 3

What it is not

Edge Python is not a full Python. It leaves out what does not fit a small sandboxed runtime:

  • No bundled standard library. Every module is an external package. See Modules.
  • No dynamic code. exec, eval, compile, and __import__ do not exist.
  • No metaclasses, no descriptor protocol, no __slots__.
  • No complex numbers.
  • A fixed set of builtins and nothing more. dir is not one of them. See Builtins.

The language guide covers everything that is supported.

Where to go next

  • Quickstart installs the CLI and runs your first program.
  • Syntax walks through the language feature by feature.
  • Builtins and Methods list the fixed builtin set.
  • Design explains how the compiler and VM work.

Machine learning models can load skill/SKILL.md from the repository for a self-verifying summary of the language and CLI.

For questions or integration help, email [email protected].

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Quickstart