👩‍💻Supported languages and libraries

Python version and libraries in Kita and how to request something new.

Kita runs Python 3 through Skulpt, a Python interpreter written in JavaScript rather than CPython, at roughly the Python 3.7 feature level. JavaScript is also supported.

Students import from a fixed set of libraries and cannot install their own. This page lists exactly what is available.

Runtime

Student code runs in the browser through Skulpt, not CPython. sys.version reports Python 3, at roughly the 3.7 feature level.

Newer Python syntax may not run. Because the feature level is around 3.7, code written against a later version can fail even though it is valid Python. If you are moving a lesson from a platform that runs full CPython, test it in Kita before you rely on it. See Migrating from Trinket.

Available libraries

These import and run today.

Library	What you would use it for
base64	Encoding and decoding
csv	Reading and writing CSV files
datetime	Supports basic date and time types
hashlib	Hashing
json	JSON encoder and decoder
math	Provides mathematical functions and constants
matplotlib	Create static, animated, and interactive visualisations in Python
numpy	Scientific computing with Python
pandas	Data analysis and manipulation with Python
pgzero (pgzrun)	Pygame Zero, a simplified games framework
pygame	Games and interactive graphics
random	Implements pseudo-random number generators
re	Regular expression operations
tkinter	Used for interface design using Python (request from Kita support).
turtle	Turtle graphics

This list is not exhaustive. Kita runs on Skulpt rather than CPython, so some modules that are part of Python elsewhere are not available here, and the reverse is not something we can predict from the module name alone. If a lesson depends on a module not listed on this page, test the import directly, or email [e-mail] to check before you build a lesson around it.

Installing your own packages

Students cannot install packages. There is no pip or micropip step in a lesson. They import from the set above, and nothing outside it is available.

This is deliberate. A lesson behaves the same for every student in the class, and nothing a student installs can break their workspace mid-lesson.

Working with files

Students can read, write and upload files in their workspace. This is separate from the library list above. A lesson using csv to parse a file requires that the file has been created and is made visible or editable to students - using the student template option.

Network access

Student code cannot currently make network requests, such as calling an API. If your lesson depends on this, email [e-mail] before you build it, and we will confirm directly.

Limits

We have not yet published execution time, memory or file size limits. If your lesson is doing something intensive, such as a long-running loop or a large data file, email [e-mail] and we can tell you whether it will run within Kita's limits.

Requesting a language or library

If your lesson needs a library or programming language that isn’t currently available, email [e-mail] or fill out the form below:

New Library / Programming Language Request Form

Ask early if it matters. Adding a library is not instant, so get in touch while you are planning a unit rather than the week you teach it.