Get Started with Python

Possible Setups:

Basic Setup

Python can be installed from: https://www.python.org/downloads/

Once installed, you can check the version:

python --version
# or (depending on your system)
python3 --version

1. Virtual Environment

Create a virtual environment using venv:

python -m venv .venv

Activate it:

# Note: if you exit your session, always make sure to activate it again
source .venv/bin/activate
# or (depending on your system)
source .venv/Scripts/activate

Check if venv is active:

# checking the env variable
echo $VIRTUAL_ENV
# should output something if venv is active

# or using python code to check
python -c "import sys; print('venv active' if sys.prefix != sys.base_prefix else 'no venv')"

2. Running a Python File

Create a main.py file with the code:

print("Hello World")

Run the file:

python main.py

3. Installing Libraries

For example, to install the python-dotenv library:

pip install python-dotenv

Uninstalling a library can be done with the pip uninstall command.

Export a list of installed libraries:

pip freeze > requirements.txt

Install libraries from a requirements.txt file:

pip install -r requirements.txt

When getting back to a project 

# Create the virtual environment
python -m venv .venv

# Activate the virtual environment
source .venv/bin/activate
# or (depending on your system)
source .venv/Scripts/activate

# Check if venv is active
echo $VIRTUAL_ENV

# Install libraries
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run Python file
python main.py

Better Setup

Instead of using the default Python tools, you can use uv from Astral.

uv can be installed from: https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/

1. Virtual Environment

uv creates virtual environments automatically.

When starting a new project, initialize it with:

uv init

2. Running a Python File

Create a main.py file with the code:

print("Hello World")

Run the file:

uv run main.py
# instead of: python main.py

3. Installing Libraries

For example, to install the python-dotenv library:

uv add python-dotenv
# instead of: pip install python-dotenv

Uninstalling a library can be done with the uv remove command.

Exporting a list of installed libraries is not needed as uv uses the pyproject.toml file automatically.

When getting back to a project 

uv run main.py
# uv handles everything automatically:
# - Creates the virtual environment (.venv) and uses it
# - Installs the libraries before running the Python file