PyPy v8.0.0 release

PyPy v8.0.0: release of python 2.7, 3.11, and 3.12 beta released 2026-09-19¶

The PyPy team is proud to release version 8.0.0 of PyPy after the previous release on May 26, 2026. This is a major new version, hence the bump to 8.0.0. It is our first release of Python 3.12, which may still have some bugs so we are calling it "beta" quality.

Why the move to 8.0.0¶

glibc2.28¶

We have updated our linux buildbots (linux64, linux32, aarch64) to use manylinux_2_28 images based on AlmaLinux 8 and glibc 2.28. These use gcc14 instead of the gcc5 previously used. So our compiled tarballs will require at least glibc2.28, which should be universally supported by now (Ubuntu 24.04 uses glibc2.39). In order to prevent confusion, we felt bumping the major version would be prudent.

cp12-abi3 support¶

PyPy's Python 3.12 support comes with a new model for the C layer PyObject. In order to link the C object to the internal RPython one, we have an extra field in the object ob_pypy_link, as described in-depth in rawrefcount-and-the-gc. In previous versions, this field was visible in a way that makes the PyObject struct different from the CPython one. From v8.0.0, we "hide" the PyPy-only extension in a prefix before the pointer we hand off to C-extension modules. The goal of this work is to allow PyPy to use cp312-abi3 wheels produced for CPython 3.12 and up, using the limited ABI. The required pieces have all been put in place:

PyPy's C headers, including struct definitions like PyObject, are compatible with CPython's C headers when defining Py_LIMITED_API=0x030C0000
PyPy no longer mangles exported function names from the limited API. In PyPy3.11 and earlier, functions like PyTuple_New were exported as PyPyTupleNew.

Still missing: the import machinery must be taught that abi3.so shared objects are valid for PyPy, and the larger ecosystem (pip, uv) must also accept that cp312-abi3 wheels are valid candidates for installation.

Yes, this is a big step. We are working with Cython and PyO3 to make sure it all will Just Work™. Hopefully this will make it easier for packages to support PyPy.

What is new in RPython code generation¶

PyPy is written in RPython, and has code generation to translate RPython into C as part of the VM build process. We have made some improvements to code generation in attempts to speed up the base interpreter. While the speedups have not been that impressive, we have made some steps forward:

We now use computed gotos and more aggressively inline code. While this produces more compact sources, it does not boost performance as much as we wished.
The source code includes comments mapping the source back to the RPython code that generated the block. This is very helpful to see exactly what is going on, and may enable further improvements.

Dropping HPy¶

We have dropped the internal HPy backend for PyPy. The HPy project's understanding of how to use handles instead of pointers was a good prototype, but the project did not attract enough supporters to become a new standard. The code is still in the PyPy codebase, and can be toggled on with a build option.

A revived tool comparing headers and exported functions¶

We revived the clang-based pyhdrdump to compare PyPy's header files to CPython's header files. See the README for more information on how it works and how to use it.

Interpreters¶

The release includes three different interpreters:

PyPy2.7, supporting the syntax and the features of Python 2.7 including the stdlib for CPython 2.7.18+ (the + is for backported security updates)
PyPy3.11, supporting the syntax and the features of Python 3.11, including the stdlib for CPython 3.11.16. Barring security issues, this will be the last release to support 3.11.
PyPy3.12, supporting the syntax and features of Python 3.12, including the stdlib for CPython 3.12.14.

The interpreters are based on much the same codebase, thus the triple release.

We recommend updating. You can find links to download the releases here:

https://pypy.org/download.html

We would like to thank our donors for the continued support of the PyPy project. If PyPy is not quite good enough for your needs, we are available for direct consulting work. If PyPy is helping you out, we would love to hear about it and encourage submissions to our blog via a pull request to https://github.com/pypy/pypy.org

We would also like to thank our contributors and encourage new people to join the project. PyPy has many layers and we need help with all of them: bug fixes, PyPy and RPython documentation improvements, or general help with making RPython's JIT even better.

If you are a python library maintainer and use C-extensions, please consider making a CFFI version of your library that would be performant on PyPy. Failing that, PyPy will soon support the cp312-abi3 tag for limited ABI wheels. In any case, cibuildwheel supports building wheels for PyPy.

What is PyPy?¶

PyPy is a Python interpreter, a drop-in replacement for CPython. It's fast (PyPy and CPython performance comparison) due to its integrated tracing JIT compiler.

We also welcome developers of other dynamic languages to see what RPython can do for them.

We provide binary builds for:

x86 machines on most common operating systems (Linux 32/64 bits, Mac OS 64 bits, Windows 64 bits)
64-bit ARM machines running Linux (aarch64) and macos (macos_arm64).

PyPy supports Windows 32-bit, Linux PPC64 big- and little-endian, Linux ARM 32 bit, RISC-V RV64IMAFD Linux, and s390x Linux but does not release binaries. Please reach out to us if you wish to sponsor binary releases for those platforms. Downstream packagers provide binary builds for debian, Fedora, conda, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, Gentoo, and more.

What else is new?¶

For more information about the 8.0.0 release, see the full changelog.

Please update, and continue to help us make pypy better.

Cheers, The PyPy Team

PyPy v8.0.0 release