The Python/C API, Release 3.13.

Rather than using the PY_VERSION_HEX macro directly, hardcode a minimum minor version (e.g.
0x030A0000 for Python 3.10) for stability when compiling with future Python versions.

You can also define Py_LIMITED_API to 3. This works the same as 0x03020000 (Python 3.2, the version
that introduced Limited API).

2.2.2 Stable ABI

To enable this, Python provides a Stable ABI: a set of symbols that will remain ABI-compatible across Python 3.x
versions.

® Note

The Stable ABI prevents ABI issues, like linker errors due to missing symbols or data corruption due to changes in
structure layouts or function signatures. However, other changes in Python can change the behavior of extensions.
See Python’s Backwards Compatibility Policy (PEP 387) for details.

The Stable ABI contains symbols exposed in the Limited API, but also other ones – for example, functions necessary
to support older versions of the Limited API.
On Windows, extensions that use the Stable ABI should be linked against python3.dll rather than a version-specific
library such as python39.dll.
On some platforms, Python will look for and load shared library files named with the abi3 tag (e.g. mymodule.
abi3.so). It does not check if such extensions conform to a Stable ABI. The user (or their packaging tools) need to
ensure that, for example, extensions built with the 3.10+ Limited API are not installed for lower versions of Python.
All functions in the Stable ABI are present as functions in Python’s shared library, not solely as macros. This makes
them usable from languages that don’t use the C preprocessor.

2.2.3 Limited API Scope and Performance

The goal for the Limited API is to allow everything that is possible with the full C API, but possibly with a perfor-
mance penalty.
For example, while PyList_GetItem() is available, its “unsafe” macro variant PyList_GET_ITEM() is not. The
macro can be faster because it can rely on version-specific implementation details of the list object.
Without Py_LIMITED_API defined, some C API functions are inlined or replaced by macros. Defining
Py_LIMITED_API disables this inlining, allowing stability as Python’s data structures are improved, but possibly
reducing performance.
By leaving out the Py_LIMITED_API definition, it is possible to compile a Limited API extension with a version-
specific ABI. This can improve performance for that Python version, but will limit compatibility. Compiling with
Py_LIMITED_API will then yield an extension that can be distributed where a version-specific one is not available
– for example, for prereleases of an upcoming Python version.

2.2.4 Limited API Caveats

Note that compiling with Py_LIMITED_API is not a complete guarantee that code conforms to the Limited API or
the Stable ABI. Py_LIMITED_API only covers definitions, but an API also includes other issues, such as expected
semantics.
One issue that Py_LIMITED_API does not guard against is calling a function with arguments that are invalid in a
lower Python version. For example, consider a function that starts accepting NULL for an argument. In Python 3.9,
NULL now selects a default behavior, but in Python 3.8, the argument will be used directly, causing a NULL dereference
and crash. A similar argument works for fields of structs.
Another issue is that some struct fields are currently not hidden when Py_LIMITED_API is defined, even though
they’re part of the Limited API.

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For these reasons, we recommend testing an extension with all minor Python versions it supports, and preferably to
build with the lowest such version.
We also recommend reviewing documentation of all used API to check if it is explicitly part of the Limited API. Even
with Py_LIMITED_API defined, a few private declarations are exposed for technical reasons (or even unintentionally,
as bugs).
Also note that the Limited API is not necessarily stable: compiling with Py_LIMITED_API with Python 3.8 means
that the extension will run with Python 3.12, but it will not necessarily compile with Python 3.12. In particular, parts
of the Limited API may be deprecated and removed, provided that the Stable ABI stays stable.

2.3 Platform Considerations

ABI stability depends not only on Python, but also on the compiler used, lower-level libraries and compiler options.
For the purposes of the Stable ABI, these details define a “platform”. They usually depend on the OS type and
processor architecture
It is the responsibility of each particular distributor of Python to ensure that all Python versions on a particular
platform are built in a way that does not break the Stable ABI. This is the case with Windows and macOS releases
from python.org and many third-party distributors.

2.4 Contents of Limited API

Currently, the Limited API includes the following items:

• PY_VECTORCALL_ARGUMENTS_OFFSET
• PyAIter_Check()
• PyArg_Parse()
• PyArg_ParseTuple()
• PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords()
• PyArg_UnpackTuple()
• PyArg_VaParse()
• PyArg_VaParseTupleAndKeywords()
• PyArg_ValidateKeywordArguments()
• PyBaseObject_Type
• PyBool_FromLong()
• PyBool_Type
• PyBuffer_FillContiguousStrides()
• PyBuffer_FillInfo()
• PyBuffer_FromContiguous()
• PyBuffer_GetPointer()
• PyBuffer_IsContiguous()
• PyBuffer_Release()
• PyBuffer_SizeFromFormat()
• PyBuffer_ToContiguous()
• PyByteArrayIter_Type
• PyByteArray_AsString()

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• PyByteArray_Concat()
• PyByteArray_FromObject()
• PyByteArray_FromStringAndSize()
• PyByteArray_Resize()
• PyByteArray_Size()
• PyByteArray_Type
• PyBytesIter_Type
• PyBytes_AsString()
• PyBytes_AsStringAndSize()
• PyBytes_Concat()
• PyBytes_ConcatAndDel()
• PyBytes_DecodeEscape()
• PyBytes_FromFormat()
• PyBytes_FromFormatV()
• PyBytes_FromObject()
• PyBytes_FromString()
• PyBytes_FromStringAndSize()
• PyBytes_Repr()
• PyBytes_Size()
• PyBytes_Type
• PyCFunction
• PyCFunctionFast
• PyCFunctionFastWithKeywords
• PyCFunctionWithKeywords
• PyCFunction_GetFlags()
• PyCFunction_GetFunction()
• PyCFunction_GetSelf()
• PyCFunction_New()
• PyCFunction_NewEx()
• PyCFunction_Type
• PyCMethod_New()
• PyCallIter_New()
• PyCallIter_Type
• PyCallable_Check()
• PyCapsule_Destructor
• PyCapsule_GetContext()
• PyCapsule_GetDestructor()
• PyCapsule_GetName()
• PyCapsule_GetPointer()

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• PyCapsule_Import()
• PyCapsule_IsValid()
• PyCapsule_New()
• PyCapsule_SetContext()
• PyCapsule_SetDestructor()
• PyCapsule_SetName()
• PyCapsule_SetPointer()
• PyCapsule_Type
• PyClassMethodDescr_Type
• PyCodec_BackslashReplaceErrors()
• PyCodec_Decode()
• PyCodec_Decoder()
• PyCodec_Encode()
• PyCodec_Encoder()
• PyCodec_IgnoreErrors()
• PyCodec_IncrementalDecoder()
• PyCodec_IncrementalEncoder()
• PyCodec_KnownEncoding()
• PyCodec_LookupError()
• PyCodec_NameReplaceErrors()
• PyCodec_Register()
• PyCodec_RegisterError()
• PyCodec_ReplaceErrors()
• PyCodec_StreamReader()
• PyCodec_StreamWriter()
• PyCodec_StrictErrors()
• PyCodec_Unregister()
• PyCodec_XMLCharRefReplaceErrors()
• PyComplex_FromDoubles()
• PyComplex_ImagAsDouble()
• PyComplex_RealAsDouble()
• PyComplex_Type
• PyDescr_NewClassMethod()
• PyDescr_NewGetSet()
• PyDescr_NewMember()
• PyDescr_NewMethod()
• PyDictItems_Type
• PyDictIterItem_Type
• PyDictIterKey_Type

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• PyDictIterValue_Type
• PyDictKeys_Type
• PyDictProxy_New()
• PyDictProxy_Type
• PyDictRevIterItem_Type
• PyDictRevIterKey_Type
• PyDictRevIterValue_Type
• PyDictValues_Type
• PyDict_Clear()
• PyDict_Contains()
• PyDict_Copy()
• PyDict_DelItem()
• PyDict_DelItemString()
• PyDict_GetItem()
• PyDict_GetItemRef()
• PyDict_GetItemString()
• PyDict_GetItemStringRef()
• PyDict_GetItemWithError()
• PyDict_Items()
• PyDict_Keys()
• PyDict_Merge()
• PyDict_MergeFromSeq2()
• PyDict_New()
• PyDict_Next()
• PyDict_SetItem()
• PyDict_SetItemString()
• PyDict_Size()
• PyDict_Type
• PyDict_Update()
• PyDict_Values()
• PyEllipsis_Type
• PyEnum_Type
• PyErr_BadArgument()
• PyErr_BadInternalCall()
• PyErr_CheckSignals()
• PyErr_Clear()
• PyErr_Display()
• PyErr_DisplayException()
• PyErr_ExceptionMatches()

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• PyErr_Fetch()
• PyErr_Format()
• PyErr_FormatV()
• PyErr_GetExcInfo()
• PyErr_GetHandledException()
• PyErr_GetRaisedException()
• PyErr_GivenExceptionMatches()
• PyErr_NewException()
• PyErr_NewExceptionWithDoc()
• PyErr_NoMemory()
• PyErr_NormalizeException()
• PyErr_Occurred()
• PyErr_Print()
• PyErr_PrintEx()
• PyErr_ProgramText()
• PyErr_ResourceWarning()
• PyErr_Restore()
• PyErr_SetExcFromWindowsErr()
• PyErr_SetExcFromWindowsErrWithFilename()
• PyErr_SetExcFromWindowsErrWithFilenameObject()
• PyErr_SetExcFromWindowsErrWithFilenameObjects()
• PyErr_SetExcInfo()
• PyErr_SetFromErrno()
• PyErr_SetFromErrnoWithFilename()
• PyErr_SetFromErrnoWithFilenameObject()
• PyErr_SetFromErrnoWithFilenameObjects()
• PyErr_SetFromWindowsErr()
• PyErr_SetFromWindowsErrWithFilename()
• PyErr_SetHandledException()
• PyErr_SetImportError()
• PyErr_SetImportErrorSubclass()
• PyErr_SetInterrupt()
• PyErr_SetInterruptEx()
• PyErr_SetNone()
• PyErr_SetObject()
• PyErr_SetRaisedException()
• PyErr_SetString()
• PyErr_SyntaxLocation()
• PyErr_SyntaxLocationEx()

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• PyErr_WarnEx()
• PyErr_WarnExplicit()
• PyErr_WarnFormat()
• PyErr_WriteUnraisable()
• PyEval_AcquireThread()
• PyEval_EvalCode()
• PyEval_EvalCodeEx()
• PyEval_EvalFrame()
• PyEval_EvalFrameEx()
• PyEval_GetBuiltins()
• PyEval_GetFrame()
• PyEval_GetFrameBuiltins()
• PyEval_GetFrameGlobals()
• PyEval_GetFrameLocals()
• PyEval_GetFuncDesc()
• PyEval_GetFuncName()
• PyEval_GetGlobals()
• PyEval_GetLocals()
• PyEval_InitThreads()
• PyEval_ReleaseThread()
• PyEval_RestoreThread()
• PyEval_SaveThread()
• PyExc_ArithmeticError
• PyExc_AssertionError
• PyExc_AttributeError
• PyExc_BaseException
• PyExc_BaseExceptionGroup
• PyExc_BlockingIOError
• PyExc_BrokenPipeError
• PyExc_BufferError
• PyExc_BytesWarning
• PyExc_ChildProcessError
• PyExc_ConnectionAbortedError
• PyExc_ConnectionError
• PyExc_ConnectionRefusedError
• PyExc_ConnectionResetError
• PyExc_DeprecationWarning
• PyExc_EOFError
• PyExc_EncodingWarning

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