Last Updated: December 6, 2025
The Global Interpreter Lock, or GIL, is one of those topics in Python that can stir up a heated debate among developers. Understanding the GIL is crucial because it plays a significant role in how Python handles concurrency, especially when it comes to multi-threading.
While it might seem like a minor technical detail, it has ramifications on performance, scalability, and even the way you design your applications. Let’s dive in and untangle this concept.