Stata provides two ways for Python and Stata to interact, and these mechanisms are collectively referred to as PyStata.
First, Python can be invoked from a running Stata session so that Python’s extensive language features can be leveraged from within Stata. This is called Python integration, which was introduced in Stata 16. With this integration, users can embed and execute Python code interactively or in do-files and ado-files. Read more about using Python from within Stata in [P] PyStata integration.
Second, in Stata 17 or higher, Stata can be invoked from a standalone Python environment via the pystata Python package. It includes four IPython (interactive Python) magic commands and a suite of API functions for interacting with Stata from within Python. With these tools, users can access Stata and Mata conveniently in an IPython kernel-based environment (for example, Jupyter Notebook and console, and Jupyter Lab and console), in other environments that support the IPython kernel (for example, Spyder IDE and PyCharm IDE), or when accessing Python from a command line (for example, Windows Command Prompt, macOS terminal, Unix terminal, and Python’s IDLE). See [P] PyStata module for more details about calling Stata from within Python.
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Whether one is integrating Python into Stata or Stata into Python, the sfi (Stata Function Interface) module to interact Python’s capabilities with Stata’s core features can be used. Within the module, classes are defined to provide access to Stata’s current dataset, frames, macros, scalars, matrices, value labels, characteristics, global Mata matrices, and more. Read Stata’s Python API documentation for more details.
Both the pystata Python package and Stata’s Python API module have capabilities that are specific to the Stata version being used. The functionality within them are intended to be forward compatible, but not backward compatible. That is, a feature added in an older Stata may be used with a modern Stata; however, a feature added in a modern Stata may not be used with an older Stata.