How to get the current Python interpreter path from inside a Python script?

Question

I want to run a Python script from a Python script with subprocess, and I wish to do it using the same interpreter for each of them.

I'm using virtualenv, so I'd like to do something like:

subprocess.Popen('%s script.py' % python_bin)

How do I get python_bin?

It should be /usr/bin/python outside a virtualenv, and /path/to/env/bin/python in a virtualenv.

Solution

The name of the interpreter is stored in the variable sys.executable

Comments

[matt wilkie]

this isn't reliable for embedded interpreters, use os.__file__ for that (courtesy of stackoverflow.com/a/8187027/14420)

[denfromufa]

it is actually one directory above os.__file__

[Shravya Boggarapu]

Any way to get the path for the virtual interpreter?