Konstantin Bespalov

How to implement convenient Python bindings to C++

How do you make a C++ library feel truly Pythonic? Learn to create high-performance bindings with full IDE support, intuitive syntax, and multiprocessing compatibility.

How to implement convenient Python bindings to C++
#1about 4 minutes

The business case for Python bindings to a C++ library

A C++ financial pricing library required a Python interface for quantitative analysts to perform research and development.

#2about 2 minutes

Evaluating an initial approach using .NET integration

The first attempt used a .NET assembly with pythonnet, but it suffered from poor performance and a lack of IDE support.

#3about 4 minutes

Choosing pybind11 for direct C++ to Python bindings

Pybind11 was selected over the Python/C API for its ability to minimize boilerplate code when creating direct C++ bindings.

#4about 2 minutes

Identifying usability gaps in the initial pybind11 bindings

The initial pybind11 implementation still lacked crucial features like type hints, Pythonic collections, and pickling support for multiprocessing.

#5about 2 minutes

Adding IDE support and type hints with stub files

PEP 484 and .pyi stub files provide a type interface for the C++ extension module, enabling autocompletion and navigation in IDEs.

#6about 2 minutes

Creating a Pythonic API with variants and magic methods

Using std::variant simplifies function arguments and implementing magic methods like __iter__ makes C++ collections behave like native Python ones.

#7about 1 minute

Enabling multiprocessing with custom pickling support

The copy_reg module is used to register custom serialization and deserialization functions, making C++ objects picklable for multiprocessing.

#8about 1 minute

Summarizing the solution and using code generation

The final solution combines pybind11 with several enhancements, and a code generator is recommended to maintain the bindings for large projects.

#9about 2 minutes

Q&A on exceptions, SWIG, and code generation tooling

The speaker answers audience questions about propagating C++ exceptions, comparing pybind11 to SWIG, and the specific code generator used.

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