Python Virtual Environments Use Symlinks, Not Copies, of the Interpreter

On Linux and macOS, running python3 -m venv does not create a standalone copy of the Python interpreter. Instead, the python binary inside the virtual environment is a symlink that points back to the system-level Python installation. The only component that is truly private to a virtual environment is the site-packages directory, where user-installed packages are stored. This architecture means the venv depends on the system interpreter remaining intact and unchanged. Developers working on cloud VMs or production systems should understand this distinction to avoid unexpected breakage when system Python is updated or removed.