Exactly a year after the previous v3.13, the Python team has officially released v3.14 for this world’s most popular programming language.
One of the biggest additions in this release is free-threaded Python, which removes the Global Interpreter Lock and allows true parallel execution. This long-awaited change enables developers to leverage multicore CPUs fully and opens up new possibilities for building high-performance applications in pure Python. According to devs, it’s one of the most significant steps forward in Python’s history.
Another highlight is the introduction of template string literals, or t-strings, which use familiar f-string syntax but are designed for custom string processing. Type annotations now evaluate lazily, improving their behavior in complex or forward-referenced code. Exception handling also becomes a little cleaner, as certain except expressions can now omit brackets.
Beyond syntax updates, the standard library has grown as well. A new compression.zstd module adds built-in support for the Zstandard compression algorithm, while the uuid module now supports versions 6 through 8 and speeds up the generation of older versions by up to 40%.
Python’s command-line tools have also been polished — syntax highlighting now appears in unittest, argparse, json, and other modules, making terminal output easier to read.
On the debugging side, a new low-overhead debugger interface allows external tools to connect with minimal performance impact, and the built-in debugger can now attach remotely to a running Python process. Plus, a new command-line tool makes it easier to inspect and monitor asynchronous tasks.
Performance-wise, Python 3.14 ships with an experimental interpreter type that delivers noticeable speed improvements when compiled with newer toolchains. Official macOS and Windows binaries now include an experimental JIT compiler, and for the first time, Android users get official binaries as well.
Additionally, Python’s HMAC implementation has been rebuilt with formally verified code from the HACL* project for added security and reliability.
It’s worth noting that PGP signatures are no longer provided for release files, with Sigstore now recommended for verification. On Windows, a new Python Install Manager replaces the traditional installer, though the old version will remain available throughout the 3.14 and 3.15 series.
As usual, this release also includes a cleanup of deprecated and outdated APIs, removing several older C API elements and standard library behaviors that were marked for removal in earlier versions. Developers are encouraged to check the full “What’s New in Python 3.14” document for details.
For more information, see the announcement.
I enjoy your articles. Which would be better for system administration? Python or Perl?
Thanks for the kind words.
IMO, for most modern sysadmin work, I’d say Python is the way to go.