Uber, Netflix, &YouTube are Built with Python. Here’s WHY?

Python is a simple and beautiful programming language, which has gained a lot of popularity ever since its inception in 1991. From then till now, we have seen Python and its associated technologies being used in a wide range of applications and digital solutions. 

A Python app developer can use the language to build solutions for every industry and field. This includes entertainment, media, data science, automotive, IT, business, and so on. 

Using Python means the developers can substantially reduce the development time while ensuring top notch quality of the solution developed. Python is being used by giants in almost every industry and we will list out some of these organizations that are using Python. 

Top Seven Applications Built with Python

1. Instagram

The photo sharing application that created a sensation across the globe is proud to use Python. Instagram is using Python to implement its business logic  and ensures that more than 1 billion monthly active users can use the application seamlessly. 

Instagram is using Python for:

• Strict Modules
• Creating HTTP APIs
• Instagram web servers memory management
• Profiling CPython
• Web Service Efficiency
• Thrash and Data Management

Instagram is not using Python alone but also its frameworks like Django to further improve the functionality and the outcome. The Instagram engineering department has echoed that they are using Python to do simple things first and make the application progressively user friendly, clean, and simple. 

2. Spotify

First, we had a photo-sharing application making history by using Python. And now there’s Spotify, a music streaming application using Python development services to serve 172 million active users in the third quarter of 2021. 

Spotify is using Python to harness its ability to understand and execute advanced data analytics. This helps Spotify manage a wide range of functions, including radio and the discover section, which provides the users with personalized recommendations. 

Spotify is using Python for:

• Data analysis
• Interact with Hadoop
• Associate with Luigi
• Manage the Hadoop cluster
• Implementing GraphWalker
• Prototyping
• Building processes

Here too, besides Python, Spotify hire Python experts who also know Django to work on a couple of systems like community interaction. Spotify is also a fan of Python’s ability to lend speed in terms of development. They are using Python to work on the async frameworks for completing the IO-bound services. 

3. Pinterest

After Instagram, Pinterest is the second most popular social networking platform on the web. Pinterest harnesses Python and Django to manage the data easily. Pinterest has been using Python from day one, which means that a lot of things that we see and use on Pinterest may have been built with Python. 

Pinterest served more than 444 million active users in the third quarter of 2021. The application, which manages these many users, uses Python for its flexibility and pragmatic approach. 

Pinterest is using Python for:

• Balance stack complexity
• Fine-tune the source code
• Build tools like Pinball, MySQL_utils, pymemcache
• Service communication
• Configuration management

Pinterest uses Python along with Django at the level of application layer development. Note that they are using a highly modified version of Django, which is also managed with Python. Within the application, Pinterest has built PinPy to automate Pinterest marketing processes. 

4. Uber

The trendsetter application in the transportation industry, Uber, is data-intensive. They are using Python for a wide variety of functions at the lower level, except for the marketplace team management. Uber has millions of users using the application to call for rides at any time. 

To be precise, Uber’s Python application development uses extend from frontend to backend functions. The company is using Python for its ability to conduct mathematical calculations. 

Uber is using Python for:

• Routing
• Service discovery
• Creating logging function
• Data management (user profile fetching)

Besides using Python for core development services, Uber is using Python and its Tornado web framework. Specifically, Uber is using Tornado and Python for asynchronous programming. Moreover, Uber is using Python for rendering data intensive visualizations. 

5. Disqus

Disqus is an amazing and popular solution to create public engagement on a topic and help build discussions. The platform gets a huge amount of content every day, which needs to be managed efficiently. Their usage of Python is majorly related with using Django for adding impressive security features to the application and updating the security patches.

Disqus is using Python for:

• API development to create integrated functions. 
• Extracting comments from Disqus
• Social Authentication
• Manage the commenting system

Disqus is a community-oriented application where people talk over comments and in forums. So, the application needs to work in real-time while ensuring that every user enjoys an interactive experience. Disqus works with Python app developers to ensure that the application can run smoothly and can manage the user-generated data effectively. 

6. Google

We know that Google is not an application, but there are several applications built by Google with Python. And the most important of them all is YouTube. Almost the entire YouTube application source code is written in Python, and Google tries to use Python wherever the company can. 

Youtube, being the world’s most popular video-sharing and viewing platform, needs an extensive amount of management. So, with Python being used here gives us an idea about the capabilities of Python application development and how far we can take it. 

YouTube is using Python for:

• Controlling templates

• Viewing and administering videos

• Access canonical data

We cannot list every activity managed by Python on YouTube; rest assured that Python is almost everywhere on YouTube. The YouTube mobile application data is extracted by using Python’s API. 

7. NASA

While this is an unexpected choice for this list, it’s an important one because it shows the diversity of Python. NASA’s mobile application is not a simple one; it’s a complex project letting the users access data on space technology, including live streams of satellites. 

The organization is using Python via United Space Alliance, which is a major shuttle support contractor of NASA. The organization is using Python to build programs, including Workflow Automation System (WAS).

NASA is using Python for:

• Build and manage complex programs.

• Data management

• Integration with other languages, including C++

NASA has been using Python since 1994, and the language has helped the organization solve a wide range of problems. From managing the data, which was earlier done with pen and paper, NASA has evolved to work on Python application development for solving complex problems. 

With these seven applications being created, managed, and improved with Python, our list is complete. Besides these, there are a few other popular names you must know. These are;

• Facebook
• Reddit
• Netflix
• IBM
• Quora
• Amazon
• Dropbox
• Instacart

So, when so many applications with a global outreach are using one programming technology, there must be something that is inspiring these companies to hire Python experts and harness the language’s capabilities. 

In the next section, we will talk about some of the reasons why Python is a popular development technology.

Why Are They Using Python?

Python’s popularity is one of the many reasons why organizations are readily using it for their development purposes. From keeping the application development cost in check to letting developers integrate AI and machine learning systems effectively, there are a lot of reasons why you can also consider using Python.

• Scalability: Scaling an application means that it needs to handle an increasing number of requests. Once the application code is written, rewriting or modifying the code is an arduous task.However, a Python app developer can easily write the adaptable code for the application being developed. With multithreading support and faster language scripting abilities, Python can be used to write code for simple tasks to complex applications.
• Frameworks: From building web applications to mobile applications, Python offers various frameworks to enhance development capabilities. These frameworks and libraries give Python the power it possesses today and will continue to do so in the future as well.We have already seen examples of applications using Django and Tornado for development purposes. Other than these two, Python application development frameworks like Flask, Web2Py, Pandas, Numpy, Turbogears are also important. 

• Code maintenance: Every programming language aims to make working with its code easier and simpler. The same applies to Python, and maintaining and updating the Python code is easier relative to other programming languages.This is because Python has a clear syntax, which allows writing cleaner code. Moreover, for Python code maintenance, you need to understand a few things;
  • Using Conda to implement Python dependencies.
  • Using different Python environments while coding makes it easier to maintain.
  •  Use Pytest and similar libraries to write testing systems for the code, which helps make it cleaner and more efficient. 

• Learning curve: Python has a flatter learning curve than other programming languages. Due to this, many programmers start using and learning Python initially before working with other languages.This is good for organizations as they get more options to hire Python experts and ensure that their developers are knowledgeable and well-trained. The developers can ensure this as they get more time and less difficulties learning the language.

• Diversity: From the list of top applications using Python, we can deduce that as a programming language, Python has many use cases. This enhances the net of Python development services while allowing organizations from several industries to use the language.There are live examples of Python’s usage in blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning, gaming applications, administration, business intelligence, streaming services, and many more.So, when a new organization is searching for their ideal programming language, they look towards Python and its usage among different industries. This convinces them to use Python.

• Availability of Developers: There are millions of Python developers out there. Besides helping you with application development, they can also work on web applications. The wide net of developers and python experts makes it easier to select the right people for the job. 

• Overall Development Experience: Developing an application with Python is faster and easier. There are several language-oriented capabilities like image processing, OCR, automated testing, integration with the latest technologies, and so on. The commiserative impact of these aspects makes the overall Python application development experience smoother and seamless. 

Conclusion

Python’s flexibility makes it the go-to programming language for building complex applications and for developers to start their careers in development. A programming language that satisfies the intent of organizations by offering quick development at lower costs and developers by giving them an easy programming environment, Python is an all-time favorite. 

With several global applications being built with Python, we can only hope for it to progress further and add more use cases to the list. Its compatibility with numerous libraries, frameworks, and tools further adds to the number of development possibilities. For best results, hire the best Python app developers and build the next best application in your industry.