Algorand Becomes The First Layer 1 Blockchain To Adopt Python As A Canonical Language

Algorand becomes the first layer 1 blockchain to accept Python as a canonical language, which Algorand Foundation CTO John WOODS calls a “seismic change.” According to him, Python is a huge step forward towards eliminating all barriers for developers

Mariano DOMINGUEZ, software developer at Vestige.fi, a decentralized application based on Algorand, said there are several reasons for this. First, most chains that have a smart contract execution layer operate in a resource-constrained scenario, which is not typical in modern development environments. Because of this, it is often easier and cheaper to create a domain-specific language (such as Solidity, PyTEAL/TEAL or Move) than to integrate a “regular” language, since you can implement these constraints from the start.

TEAL was Algorand’s earlier smart contract language, and PyTEAL was a mechanism for calling TEAL instructions from a Python file. The difference now is that native Python is compiled into Algorand Virtual Machine (AVM) bytecode, making it compatible with native Python tools, including testing suites. This distinguishes it from both PyTEAL and languages like Vyper for EVM, which are only “Python-like”.

Image: Algorand Developer Portal