Is GIL a problem for all Python applications?

What is GIL and how does it affect Python applications?

GIL stands for Global Interpreter Lock. It's a mutex that protects access to Python objects, preventing multiple threads from executing Python bytecode simultaneously. This can be a bottleneck in CPU-bound applications.

So, does that mean multi-threading in Python is useless?

Not necessarily! While GIL can limit performance in CPU-bound tasks, multi-threading can still be effective for I/O-bound tasks, where threads spend time waiting for external resources.

Are there any ways to bypass GIL limitations?

Yes, you can use multiprocessing instead of threading, which allows you to create separate processes that can run on different CPU cores, effectively bypassing GIL.

What about using other Python implementations like Jython or IronPython?

Those implementations do not have GIL, so they can utilize multi-threading more effectively. However, they may not support all Python libraries.