Cython is a language that extends Python by supporting the declaration of types for functions, variables, and classes. These typed declarations enable Cython to compile Python scripts to efficient C code. Cython can also act as a bridge between Python and C as it provides easy-to-use constructs to write interfaces to external C and C++ routines.

In this chapter, we will learn the following things:

• Cython syntax basics
• How to compile Cython programs
• How to use static typing to generate fast code
• How to efficiently manipulate arrays using typed memoryviews
• Optimizing a sample particle simulator
• Tips on using Cython in the Jupyter notebook
• The profiling tools available for Cython

While a minimum knowledge of C is helpful, this chapter focuses only on Cython in the context of Python optimization. Therefore, it doesn't require any C background.