What is batavia?

Batavia lets you run Python code directly in your web browser using JavaScript. Instead of needing Python installed on a user's computer, you can write Python, and it will execute in the browser just like it would on your machine. This means educators can teach Python without asking students to install anything, and developers can embed Python playgrounds or interactive tutorials into websites. Here's how it works at a high level: Python code gets compiled into bytecode (a lower-level instruction set that Python's engine normally reads). Batavia recreates that same engine, but in JavaScript instead of C. When you write Python code in the browser, it gets converted to bytecode, then Batavia's JavaScript engine reads and executes those instructions, giving you back the results. It supports Python 3.4+ syntax and can even interact with JavaScript objects already running on the page, bridging the two languages together. Who would use this? Educators building interactive coding tutorials or online courses could let students write and run Python without setup friction. Web developers might embed a Python sandbox into their site for demos or documentation. Anyone building an in-browser IDE or educational platform that needs Python support would find this useful. Since Batavia is still in early development (the README calls it "early alpha"), it's best suited for learning projects and experimental work rather than mission-critical applications. The project is built with both Python and Node.js working together, Python code gets compiled down to bytecode, while JavaScript handles the virtual machine that interprets it. You need Python 3.4 or 3.5 and Node.js installed locally to build and develop on it. Once compiled, the result runs entirely in the browser with no server-side Python required.