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For these reasons, we recommend testing an extension with all minor Python versions it supports, and preferably to
build with the lowest such version.
We also recommend reviewing documentation of all used API to check if it is explicitly part of the Limited API. Even
with Py_LIMITED_API defined, a few private declarations are exposed for technical reasons (or even unintentionally,
as bugs).
Also note that the Limited API is not necessarily stable: compiling with Py_LIMITED_API with Python 3.8 means
that the extension will run with Python 3.12, but it will not necessarily compile with Python 3.12. In particular, parts
of the Limited API may be deprecated and removed, provided that the Stable ABI stays stable.
2.3 Platform Considerations
ABI stability depends not only on Python, but also on the compiler used, lower-level libraries and compiler options.
For the purposes of the Stable ABI, these details define a “platform”. They usually depend on the OS type and
processor architecture
It is the responsibility of each particular distributor of Python to ensure that all Python versions on a particular
platform are built in a way that does not break the Stable ABI. This is the case with Windows and macOS releases
from [Link] and many third-party distributors.
2.4 Contents of Limited API
Currently, the Limited API includes the following items:
• PY_VECTORCALL_ARGUMENTS_OFFSET
• PyAIter_Check()
• PyArg_Parse()
• PyArg_ParseTuple()
• PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords()
• PyArg_UnpackTuple()
• PyArg_VaParse()
• PyArg_VaParseTupleAndKeywords()
• PyArg_ValidateKeywordArguments()
• PyBaseObject_Type
• PyBool_FromLong()
• PyBool_Type
• PyBuffer_FillContiguousStrides()
• PyBuffer_FillInfo()
• PyBuffer_FromContiguous()
• PyBuffer_GetPointer()
• PyBuffer_IsContiguous()
• PyBuffer_Release()
• PyBuffer_SizeFromFormat()
• PyBuffer_ToContiguous()
• PyByteArrayIter_Type
• PyByteArray_AsString()
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• PyByteArray_Concat()
• PyByteArray_FromObject()
• PyByteArray_FromStringAndSize()
• PyByteArray_Resize()
• PyByteArray_Size()
• PyByteArray_Type
• PyBytesIter_Type
• PyBytes_AsString()
• PyBytes_AsStringAndSize()
• PyBytes_Concat()
• PyBytes_ConcatAndDel()
• PyBytes_DecodeEscape()
• PyBytes_FromFormat()
• PyBytes_FromFormatV()
• PyBytes_FromObject()
• PyBytes_FromString()
• PyBytes_FromStringAndSize()
• PyBytes_Repr()
• PyBytes_Size()
• PyBytes_Type
• PyCFunction
• PyCFunctionFast
• PyCFunctionFastWithKeywords
• PyCFunctionWithKeywords
• PyCFunction_GetFlags()
• PyCFunction_GetFunction()
• PyCFunction_GetSelf()
• PyCFunction_New()
• PyCFunction_NewEx()
• PyCFunction_Type
• PyCMethod_New()
• PyCallIter_New()
• PyCallIter_Type
• PyCallable_Check()
• PyCapsule_Destructor
• PyCapsule_GetContext()
• PyCapsule_GetDestructor()
• PyCapsule_GetName()
• PyCapsule_GetPointer()
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• PyCapsule_Import()
• PyCapsule_IsValid()
• PyCapsule_New()
• PyCapsule_SetContext()
• PyCapsule_SetDestructor()
• PyCapsule_SetName()
• PyCapsule_SetPointer()
• PyCapsule_Type
• PyClassMethodDescr_Type
• PyCodec_BackslashReplaceErrors()
• PyCodec_Decode()
• PyCodec_Decoder()
• PyCodec_Encode()
• PyCodec_Encoder()
• PyCodec_IgnoreErrors()
• PyCodec_IncrementalDecoder()
• PyCodec_IncrementalEncoder()
• PyCodec_KnownEncoding()
• PyCodec_LookupError()
• PyCodec_NameReplaceErrors()
• PyCodec_Register()
• PyCodec_RegisterError()
• PyCodec_ReplaceErrors()
• PyCodec_StreamReader()
• PyCodec_StreamWriter()
• PyCodec_StrictErrors()
• PyCodec_Unregister()
• PyCodec_XMLCharRefReplaceErrors()
• PyComplex_FromDoubles()
• PyComplex_ImagAsDouble()
• PyComplex_RealAsDouble()
• PyComplex_Type
• PyDescr_NewClassMethod()
• PyDescr_NewGetSet()
• PyDescr_NewMember()
• PyDescr_NewMethod()
• PyDictItems_Type
• PyDictIterItem_Type
• PyDictIterKey_Type
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• PyDictIterValue_Type
• PyDictKeys_Type
• PyDictProxy_New()
• PyDictProxy_Type
• PyDictRevIterItem_Type
• PyDictRevIterKey_Type
• PyDictRevIterValue_Type
• PyDictValues_Type
• PyDict_Clear()
• PyDict_Contains()
• PyDict_Copy()
• PyDict_DelItem()
• PyDict_DelItemString()
• PyDict_GetItem()
• PyDict_GetItemRef()
• PyDict_GetItemString()
• PyDict_GetItemStringRef()
• PyDict_GetItemWithError()
• PyDict_Items()
• PyDict_Keys()
• PyDict_Merge()
• PyDict_MergeFromSeq2()
• PyDict_New()
• PyDict_Next()
• PyDict_SetItem()
• PyDict_SetItemString()
• PyDict_Size()
• PyDict_Type
• PyDict_Update()
• PyDict_Values()
• PyEllipsis_Type
• PyEnum_Type
• PyErr_BadArgument()
• PyErr_BadInternalCall()
• PyErr_CheckSignals()
• PyErr_Clear()
• PyErr_Display()
• PyErr_DisplayException()
• PyErr_ExceptionMatches()
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• PyErr_Fetch()
• PyErr_Format()
• PyErr_FormatV()
• PyErr_GetExcInfo()
• PyErr_GetHandledException()
• PyErr_GetRaisedException()
• PyErr_GivenExceptionMatches()
• PyErr_NewException()
• PyErr_NewExceptionWithDoc()
• PyErr_NoMemory()
• PyErr_NormalizeException()
• PyErr_Occurred()
• PyErr_Print()
• PyErr_PrintEx()
• PyErr_ProgramText()
• PyErr_ResourceWarning()
• PyErr_Restore()
• PyErr_SetExcFromWindowsErr()
• PyErr_SetExcFromWindowsErrWithFilename()
• PyErr_SetExcFromWindowsErrWithFilenameObject()
• PyErr_SetExcFromWindowsErrWithFilenameObjects()
• PyErr_SetExcInfo()
• PyErr_SetFromErrno()
• PyErr_SetFromErrnoWithFilename()
• PyErr_SetFromErrnoWithFilenameObject()
• PyErr_SetFromErrnoWithFilenameObjects()
• PyErr_SetFromWindowsErr()
• PyErr_SetFromWindowsErrWithFilename()
• PyErr_SetHandledException()
• PyErr_SetImportError()
• PyErr_SetImportErrorSubclass()
• PyErr_SetInterrupt()
• PyErr_SetInterruptEx()
• PyErr_SetNone()
• PyErr_SetObject()
• PyErr_SetRaisedException()
• PyErr_SetString()
• PyErr_SyntaxLocation()
• PyErr_SyntaxLocationEx()
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• PyErr_WarnEx()
• PyErr_WarnExplicit()
• PyErr_WarnFormat()
• PyErr_WriteUnraisable()
• PyEval_AcquireThread()
• PyEval_EvalCode()
• PyEval_EvalCodeEx()
• PyEval_EvalFrame()
• PyEval_EvalFrameEx()
• PyEval_GetBuiltins()
• PyEval_GetFrame()
• PyEval_GetFrameBuiltins()
• PyEval_GetFrameGlobals()
• PyEval_GetFrameLocals()
• PyEval_GetFuncDesc()
• PyEval_GetFuncName()
• PyEval_GetGlobals()
• PyEval_GetLocals()
• PyEval_InitThreads()
• PyEval_ReleaseThread()
• PyEval_RestoreThread()
• PyEval_SaveThread()
• PyExc_ArithmeticError
• PyExc_AssertionError
• PyExc_AttributeError
• PyExc_BaseException
• PyExc_BaseExceptionGroup
• PyExc_BlockingIOError
• PyExc_BrokenPipeError
• PyExc_BufferError
• PyExc_BytesWarning
• PyExc_ChildProcessError
• PyExc_ConnectionAbortedError
• PyExc_ConnectionError
• PyExc_ConnectionRefusedError
• PyExc_ConnectionResetError
• PyExc_DeprecationWarning
• PyExc_EOFError
• PyExc_EncodingWarning
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