---
id: bpython
version: "0.26"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# bpython — A fancy curses interface to the Python interactive interpreter

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 540.4K/mo

## What it is and what it does

bpython is a drop-in replacement for the standard Python interactive interpreter, designed to add IDE-like conveniences without the overhead of a full development environment. It runs as a command-line tool that you invoke instead of `python` when you want an interactive session, and it wraps your input with syntax highlighting via Pygments, real-time autocompletion suggestions, inline parameter documentation for functions, and the ability to rewind and re-evaluate your session or edit it in your preferred text editor.

The package depends on curtsies for terminal UI rendering, greenlet for lightweight concurrency, and several smaller utilities for clipboard, configuration, and display width handling. It is most useful for quick exploration, testing snippets, or debugging without leaving the terminal—situations where you'd normally open a Python REPL but want better visibility into what you're typing and what functions expect.

Use it for:

- Testing code snippets and solutions interactively without creating temporary files.
- Debugging and exploring library APIs with real-time parameter hints and syntax highlighting.
- Rewinding and re-evaluating session history after making edits in your text editor.
- Quick prototyping and experimentation in a terminal-based environment with IDE-like features.
- Replacing the vanilla Python REPL for daily interactive development work.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

bpython is an enhanced Python interactive interpreter that replaces the standard REPL with syntax highlighting, autocompletion, parameter hints, and session editing features.

Yes. bpython is actively maintained, has no known security vulnerabilities, uses a permissive MIT license, and installs with low friction. It is a straightforward enhancement to the standard Python REPL that adds genuine productivity features (syntax highlighting, autocompletion, parameter hints) without requiring a heavy IDE. Install it if you spend time in the interactive interpreter and want better visibility into your code and function signatures.

## Install

pip install bpython
uv add bpython
poetry add bpython

## Installing bpython

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel and seven runtime dependencies. Actively maintained with a recent release and steady commit activity.

License in practice: MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install bpython
bpython

Requires Python 3.9 or later.

Verify before relying:

- Whether optional dependencies (jedi, watchdog, pyperclip) are needed for specific features beyond the core interpreter.
- Performance characteristics when working with large codebases or long-running sessions.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 540.4K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

python interactive shell replacement, syntax highlighting repl, python interpreter with autocompletion, enhanced python prompt, ide-like python shell, python repl with syntax highlighting, interactive python with code inspection, repl, interactive-shell, developer-tools

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