Installing Python on Windows and Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

This guide will help you install Python on both Windows and Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Follow the steps below for a smooth installation process.

Installing Python on Windows

Download the Python Installer:

Go to the Python Downloads page.
Click on the “Download Python” button. This will download the latest version of Python.

Run the Installer:

Locate the downloaded installer file (usually in the Downloads folder).
Double-click the installer to run it.

Customize Installation (Optional):

Check the box that says “Add Python to PATH”.
Click on “Customize installation” if you want to choose optional features, otherwise, click “Install Now”.

Complete Installation:

Follow the prompts and wait for the installation to complete.
Once the installation is complete, click “Close”.

Verify Installation:

Open Command Prompt.
Type python --version and press Enter.
You should see the version of Python that you installed.

Installing Python on Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

Install WSL:

Open PowerShell as Administrator.
Run the command:

wsl --install

Restart your computer if prompted.

Set Up WSL:

After restarting, open PowerShell again and run:

wsl --set-default-version 2

Install your preferred Linux distribution from the Microsoft Store (e.g., Ubuntu).

Launch WSL:

Open your installed Linux distribution (e.g., Ubuntu) from the Start menu.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the initial setup.

Update Package List:

In the WSL terminal, run:

sudo apt update

Install Python:

To install Python 3, run:

sudo apt install python3

Optionally, install pip (Python package installer):

sudo apt install python3-pip

Verify Installation:

In the WSL terminal, type python3 --version and press Enter.
You should see the version of Python that you installed.

By following these steps, you will have Python installed on both Windows and WSL, allowing you to run Python scripts in both environments.

Installing Python on macOS

This guide will help you install Python on macOS. Follow the steps below for a smooth installation process.

Installing Python on macOS

Check the Pre-installed Python:

macOS usually comes with Python 2.x pre-installed. To check, open Terminal and type:

python --version

To check for Python 3.x, type:

python3 --version

Install Homebrew (if not already installed):

Homebrew is a popular package manager for macOS. To install Homebrew, open Terminal and paste the following command:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Install Python using Homebrew:

Once Homebrew is installed, you can use it to install Python 3. Run the following command in Terminal:

brew install python

This command will install the latest version of Python 3 and pip (Python package installer).

Verify Installation:

To verify that Python 3 is installed, type:

python3 --version

To verify that pip is installed, type:

pip3 --version

Set Up PATH (if necessary):

Homebrew usually sets up the PATH for you. However, if you need to manually set it up, add the following line to your ~/.zshrc or ~/.bash_profile (depending on your shell):

export PATH="/usr/local/opt/python/libexec/bin:$PATH"

Reload the shell configuration by running:

source ~/.zshrc   # for Zsh users
source ~/.bash_profile   # for Bash users

Install Virtualenv (Optional but recommended):

Virtualenv helps you create isolated Python environments. To install it, run:

pip3 install virtualenv

By following these steps, you will have Python installed on macOS, ready for running your Python scripts and projects.

Installing Python on Linux

This guide will help you install Python on various Linux distributions. Follow the steps below for a smooth installation process.

Installing Python on Ubuntu/Debian-based Distributions

Update Package List:

Open Terminal and run:

sudo apt update

Install Python:

To install Python 3 and pip (Python package installer), run:

sudo apt install python3 python3-pip

Verify Installation:

To verify that Python 3 is installed, type:

python3 --version

To verify that pip is installed, type:

pip3 --version

Installing Python on Fedora/RHEL-based Distributions

Update Package List:

Open Terminal and run:

sudo dnf update

Install Python:

To install Python 3 and pip, run:

sudo dnf install python3 python3-pip

Verify Installation:

To verify that Python 3 is installed, type:

python3 --version

To verify that pip is installed, type:

pip3 --version

Installing Python on Arch Linux

Update Package List:

Open Terminal and run:

sudo pacman -Syu

Install Python:

To install Python 3 and pip, run:

sudo pacman -S python python-pip

Verify Installation:

To verify that Python 3 is installed, type:

python --version

To verify that pip is installed, type:

pip --version

Creating a Virtual Environment (Optional but recommended)

Install Virtualenv:

To install Virtualenv, run:

pip3 install virtualenv

Create a Virtual Environment:

Navigate to your project directory:

cd /path/to/your/project

Create a virtual environment:

python3 -m venv venv

Activate the Virtual Environment:

To activate the virtual environment, run:

source venv/bin/activate

To deactivate the virtual environment, simply run:

deactivate

By following these steps, you will have Python installed on your Linux distribution, ready for running your Python scripts and projects.

Installing Python in a Docker Container

This guide will help you set up a Docker container with Python installed. Follow the steps below for a smooth installation process.

Prerequisites

Install Docker:

Follow the instructions on the Docker installation page to install Docker for your operating system.

Verify Docker Installation:

Open a terminal and run:

docker --version

You should see the Docker version installed on your machine.

Creating a Docker Container with Python

Using a Dockerfile

Create a Project Directory:

Create a new directory for your project and navigate to it:

mkdir my-python-app
cd my-python-app

Create a Dockerfile:

Create a file named Dockerfile in your project directory with the following content:

# Use the official Python image from the Docker Hub
FROM python:3.9

# Set the working directory in the container
WORKDIR /usr/src/app

# Copy the current directory contents into the container at /usr/src/app
COPY . .

# Install any needed packages specified in requirements.txt
RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt

# Make port 80 available to the world outside this container
EXPOSE 80

# Define environment variable
ENV NAME World

# Run app.py when the container launches
CMD ["python", "app.py"]

Create a requirements.txt File:

If your application has dependencies, list them in a requirements.txt file in your project directory:

flask
requests

Create a Simple Python Application:

Create a file named app.py in your project directory with a simple Python application:

from flask import Flask
app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/')
def hello():
return "Hello World!"

if __name__ == '__main__':
app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=80)

Build the Docker Image:

In your project directory, run:

docker build -t my-python-app .

Run the Docker Container:

Once the image is built, run a container based on the image:

docker run -p 4000:80 my-python-app

Your application will be accessible at http://localhost:4000.

Using a Docker Compose File

Create a docker-compose.yml File:

Create a docker-compose.yml file in your project directory with the following content:

version: '3'
services:
web:
image: python:3.9
working_dir: /usr/src/app
volumes:
- .:/usr/src/app
ports:
- "4000:80"
command: python app.py

Run Docker Compose:

In your project directory, run:

docker-compose up

Your application will be accessible at http://localhost:4000.

By following these steps, you will have a Docker container running with Python installed, ready for running your Python applications.

VS Code Environment

When using VS Code we recommend installing the following extensions:

CLI Tooling

The tooling CLI tooling would be beneficial to have setup:

Makefile

More details coming soon

Cloud based Development Environments

No cloud-based development environments are available for this project, however use the links below to quickly launch a new environment.