{"id":6769,"date":"2023-09-22T12:23:36","date_gmt":"2023-09-22T12:23:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/djangostars.com\/blog\/?p=6769"},"modified":"2025-09-10T17:10:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T17:10:09","slug":"python-2-to-python-3-migration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/djangostars.com\/blog\/python-2-to-python-3-migration\/","title":{"rendered":"Python 2 to Python 3 Migration"},"content":{"rendered":"

The current situation with Python 2 to 3 migration is best framed as a stalemate between \u201cIf it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it\u201d and \u201cPenny wise, pound foolish.\u201d Companies keep Python 2 because it still runs (even something like a Python rule engine example<\/a> in production), but the longer they do, the steeper the cost of transition becomes. Why?<\/p>\n

The Python 2.7 end-of-life support date was January 1, 2020, and the last version of Django to support Python 2<\/a> was 1.11 LTS. In addition, Python 3.7 has already reached its end-of-life date<\/a>. This makes Python 2 almost a legacy, and the need for Python 2 to Python 3 migration is glaringly obvious for any company that has not yet done so.
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\nA key difference between Python 2 and Python 3 is that the standard library is much better organized in Python 3, the syntax was refined, and it has many out-of-the-box features available, such as asynchronous programming. In some cases, these factors provide up to 30% better performance with up to 15% lower resource consumption than Python 2. Because Python code often runs pretty workload-heavy projects, these numbers can mean millions of dollars saved over time.
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\nAt Django Stars, a monostack Python development services company<\/a>\u00a0with multiple accolades from Clutch and worldwide recognition in the field, we always suggest clients build new products using the latest stable Python version. But many companies with Python 2-based projects try to postpone the inevitable Python 2 to Python 3 migration \u2014 until they are forced to migrate.<\/p>\n

In this article, we discuss the whys, the hows, and the cost of migration decisions. We\u2019ll also compare Python 2 and 3 and showcase Python 2 to Python 3 migration issues a company might face, and offer a roadmap to successful migration.<\/p>\n

Key differences between Python 2 and Python 3<\/h2>\n

Django Stars knows Python development inside out \u2014 we\u2019ve built, reengineered, modernized, and transformed multiple products from the ground up that raised hundreds of millions of dollars in investments. This means we have the required expertise to highlight the most significant Python 2 vs. 3 differences for you.<\/p>\n

The Python 3 introduction process was controversial, to say the least. Python 3.0 was released amidst the economic crisis of 2008, and Python 2.7 was developed in parallel and released in 2010.<\/p>\n

According to Guido Van Rossum, Python\u2019s creator and core developer, Python 3 was \u201ca way to correct fundamental issues with Python 2 that couldn\u2019t be cleanly fixed with a regular deprecation process for minor version updates.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Like sometimes happens in architecture \u2014 the original foundation of Python 2 was unsuitable for future development. For example, it can\u2019t support newer development that makes rich use of Unicode. So, a new foundation was created.<\/p>\n

Python 2 works great within its limitations and gets the job done, but Python 3\u2019s new foundation allows for building future-proof projects.<\/p>\n

The main pillars of the new foundation were:<\/p>\n