# About the Abaqus Scripting Interface

The Abaqus Scripting Interface is an application programming interface (API) to the models and data used by Abaqus. The Abaqus Scripting Interface is an extension of the Python object-oriented programming language; Abaqus Scripting Interface scripts are Python scripts. You can use the Abaqus Scripting Interface to do the following:

- Create and modify the components of an Abaqus model, such as parts, materials, loads, and steps.
- Create, modify, and submit Abaqus analysis jobs.
- Read from and write to an Abaqus output database.
- View the results of an analysis.

You use the Abaqus Scripting Interface to access the functionality of Abaqus/CAE from scripts (or programs). (The Visualization module of Abaqus/CAE is also licensed separately as Abaqus/Viewer; therefore, the Abaqus Scripting Interface can also be used to access the functionality of Abaqus/Viewer.) Because the Abaqus Scripting Interface is a customized extension of standard Python, further extension of Abaqus base types to create user-defined classes is not allowed.

This section provides an introduction to the Abaqus Scripting Interface.

```{toctree}
:caption: Contents
:maxdepth: 1

interface
interact
examples/index
```
