.. _install3-linux:

Installing Python 3 on Linux

This document describes how to install Python 3.6 on Ubuntu Linux machines.

To see which version of Python 3 you have installed, open a command prompt and run

.. code-block:: console

If you are using Ubuntu 16.10 or newer, then you can easily install Python 3.6 with the following commands::

If you're using another version of Ubuntu (e.g. the latest LTS release), we recommend using the `deadsnakes PPA <https://launchpad.net/~fkrull/+archive/ubuntu/deadsnakes>`_ to install Python 3.6::

Setuptools & Pip

The two most crucial third-party Python packages are `setuptools <https://pypi.python.org/pypi/setuptools>`_ and `pip <https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/>`_.

Once installed, you can download, install and uninstall any compliant Python software

product with a single command. It also enables you to add this network installation

capability to your own Python software with very little work.

Python 2.7.9 and later (on the python2 series), and Python 3.4 and later include

pip by default.

To see if pip is installed, open a command prompt and run

.. code-block:: console

To install pip, `follow the official pip installation guide <https://pip.pypa.io/en/latest/installing/>`_ - this will automatically install the latest version of setuptools.

Virtual Environments

A Virtual Environment is a tool to keep the dependencies required by different projects

in separate places, by creating virtual Python environments for them. It solves the

"Project X depends on version 1.x but, Project Y needs 4.x" dilemma, and keeps

your global site-packages directory clean and manageable.

For example, you can work on a project which requires Django 1.10 while also

maintaining a project which requires Django 1.8.

To start using this and see more information: :ref:`Virtual Environments <virtualenvironments-ref>` docs.

You can also use :ref:`virtualenvwrapper <virtualenvwrapper-ref>` to make it easier to

manage your virtual environments.

This page is a remixed version of `another guide <http://www.stuartellis.eu/articles/python-development-windows/>`_,

which is available under the same license.

.. _install3-windows:

Installing Python 3 on Windows

First, download the `latest version <https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.6.0/python-3.6.0.exe>`_

of Python 3.6 from the official website. If you want to be sure you are installing a fully

up-to-date version, click the Downloads > Windows link from the home page of the

`Python.org web site <http://python.org>`_ .

By design, Python installs to a directory with the version number embedded,

e.g. Python version 3.6 will install at :file:`C:\\Python36\\`, so that you can

have multiple versions of Python on the

same system without conflicts. Of course, only one interpreter can be the

default application for Python file types. It also does not automatically

modify the :envvar:`PATH` environment variable, so that you always have control over

which copy of Python is run.

Typing the full path name for a Python interpreter each time quickly gets

tedious, so add the directories for your default Python version to the :envvar:`PATH`.

Assuming that your Python installation is in :file:`C:\\Python36\\`, add this to your

:envvar:`PATH`:

.. code-block:: console

You can do this easily by running the following in ``powershell``:

.. code-block:: console

This is also an option during the installation process.

The second (:file:`Scripts`) directory receives command files when certain

packages are installed, so it is a very useful addition.

You do not need to install or configure anything else to use Python. Having

said that, I would strongly recommend that you install the tools and libraries

described in the next section before you start building Python applications for

real-world use. In particular, you should always install Setuptools, as it

makes it much easier for you to use other third-party Python libraries.

Setuptools + Pip

The most crucial third-party Python software of all is Setuptools, which

extends the packaging and installation facilities provided by the distutils in

the standard library. Once you add Setuptools to your Python system you can

download and install any compliant Python software product with a single

command. It also enables you to add this network installation capability to

your own Python software with very little work.

To obtain the latest version of Setuptools for Windows, run the Python script

available here: `ez_setup.py <https://bootstrap.pypa.io/ez_setup.py>`_

You'll now have a new command available to you: **easy_install**. It is

considered by many to be deprecated, so we will install its replacement:

**pip**. Pip allows for uninstallation of packages, and is actively maintained,

unlike easy_install.

To install pip, run the Python script available here:

`get-pip.py <https://raw.github.com/pypa/pip/master/contrib/get-pip.py>`_

Virtual Environments

A Virtual Environment is a tool to keep the dependencies required by different projects

in separate places, by creating virtual Python environments for them. It solves the

"Project X depends on version 1.x but, Project Y needs 4.x" dilemma, and keeps

your global site-packages directory clean and manageable.

For example, you can work on a project which requires Django 1.10 while also

maintaining a project which requires Django 1.8.

To start using this and see more information: :ref:`Virtual Environments <virtualenvironments-ref>` docs.

This page is a remixed version of `another guide <http://www.stuartellis.eu/articles/python-development-windows/>`_,

which is available under the same license.