Background
Codecademy's learning environment allows you to enter Python code and receive feedback on whether or not the code you entered is correct for a given exercise. In this article, we'll walk you through how to install Python so that you can write and run Python code outside of Codecademy and on your computer!
Why build outside of Codecademy?
The programming world is massive, and it’s impossible to teach everything in one place. Although Codecademy excels at teaching you how to code via interactive lessons, we'd also like for you to learn how to code on your computer so that you can create personal projects (and perhaps share them with the world)!
How long does installing Python take?
Creating a development environment for yourself on your own computer is important so that you can continue to build upon your Python knowledge outside of the Codecademy platform. Unfortunately, every computer is different and some take a long time to troubleshoot. You should budget no less than 2 hours in order to go through this installation process. If you happen to get through it faster, that's great. But, since this article can only offer general instructions, you may need to do some investigation and research about how to get Python to run on your computer. Be prepared, and after you get through this you'll be ready to take on the world.
Contents
In this article, we'll cover the following topics:
- What is Anaconda?
- What is Miniconda?
- Should I Install Anaconda, Miniconda, or just Python?
- Installation: Python
- Running Python Code
- Installing and Managing Python Packages Using
pip3
- Installation: Miniconda
- Was the Installation Successful?
- Managing Packages in Anaconda / Miniconda
pip3
vs.conda
What is Anaconda?
Anaconda is an open-source Python distribution for large-scale data analytics (provided by Continuum Analytics, Inc.). It additionally provides you with many of the tools you need to analyze large sets of data. When installed, Anaconda includes:
- The core Python language (you can use which version)
- Over 1000 packages, many for data science
- Package management with
conda
- IPython
- Much more
What is Miniconda?
Miniconda is a slimmed-down version of Anaconda. The Anaconda download is large (a few gigabytes) and can take quite some time to download and install. Miniconda, on the other hand, is a smaller alternative. It includes only the basic requirements and allows you to install packages as-needed, thereby decreasing the size and time of the download.
Should I Install Anaconda, Miniconda, or just Python?
Both Anaconda and Miniconda also install Python, so you can install Anaconda, Miniconda, or Python.
Anaconda and Miniconda make it easier to install Jupyter notebooks, which we make extensive use of at Codecademy. It's possible to install Jupyter without any additional software on top of your Python installation. Installing Python vs. Anaconda vs. Miniconda is ultimately your choice. We recommend installing Miniconda to decrease the amount of time required to set up everything.
Installation: Python
To install Python, follow these steps:
Navigate to the Python downloads page: Python downloads.
Click on the link/button to download Python 3.6.x.
Follow the installation instructions (leave all defaults as-is).
Open your terminal again and type the command
cd
. Next, type the commandpython
. The Python interpreter should respond with the version number. If you're on a Windows machine, you will likely have to navigate to the folder where Python is installed (for example,Python36
, which is the default) for thepython3
command to function.
Running Python Code
Congrats! You should have Python 3.6 installed now. Let's run some Python code!
Mac OS:
- Open your terminal and type
cd
(if you're using Windows, navigate to thePython36
folder instead). - Create a file called
mycode.py
(make sure it has a.py
extension). - Open
mycode.py
using your favorite text editor. - Add the following code to the file and save it:
print("I'm running Python code on my own!")
5. In your terminal, type the following command and press "Enter" (or "Return") on your keyboard to run your code (again, if you're on Windows you will need to navigate to the folder you installed Python 3.6 in):
python3 mycode.py
6. Your terminal should output the following message:
I'm running Python code on my own!
Congratulations! You just ran Python code on your computer!
Installing and Managing Python Packages Using pip3
With Python, you can build just about anything, from simple scripts to full applications. The Python language, however, doesn't come pre-installed with all of the fancy features you might want (or require). When you need particular functionality, you can look toward Python packages. A package structures Python modules, which contain pre-written code that other developers have created for you. Modules are handy when you are looking for specific functionality.
You can use pip3
, Python's package manager, to install and manage Python packages. pip3
gets installed along with Python.
You can use pip3
to install packages, like so:
pip3 install jupyter
In the example above, pip3
will install the Jupyter package, a popular package (among many) used for creating "notebooks" for running Python.
There are a multitude of Python packages, which you can find on PyPI — the Python Package Index — the official repository for third-party software for the Python programming language. PyPI is where pip3
grabs Python packages from when you use pip3
to install a new package on your computer.
You can use pip3
for a variety of other things as well, which you can learn about through a quick search on the web.
Installation: Miniconda
To install Miniconda, follow these steps:
Navigate to the Miniconda download page: Miniconda
Select the Python 3.6 installer for your computer's operating system.
Locate the installer that you downloaded using Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS).
Run the installer. Use the following instructions based on your computer's operating system:
Mac OS:
You may receive a notification about XCode requiring additional component. Click "Install" and enter your password to proceed.
Open your terminal and navigate to the folder where you downloaded the installer. Type the following command in the terminal and press "Return" on your keyboard:
bash miniconda-filename.sh
miniconda-filename.sh
is a fictional file name in the example above. Your file name will look something like Miniconda3-latest-MacOSX-x86_64.sh
.
3. Follow all instructions in the terminal (you can press Enter
as-needed and type yes
when necessary).
Windows:
- Follow the installation instructions provided by the installer.
Was the Installation Successful?
To test whether your installation was successful (regardless of your computer's operating system), type the following command into your terminal:
conda list
You should see a list of all the packages that Miniconda installed. If you're on a computer that uses Windows, you may have to first navigate to the folder where you installed Miniconda for the conda list
command to function properly.
If it works out, you can install Jupyter notebooks by running the following command:
conda install jupyter
Congrats! You now have Miniconda (with Python 3.6) installed on your computer as well as Jupyter notebooks. You're ready to code!
Managing Packages in Anaconda / Miniconda
With Python, you can build just about anything, from simple scripts to full applications. The Python language, however, doesn't come pre-installed with all of the fancy features you might want (or require), even when installed using Anaconda or Miniconda. When you need particular functionality, you can look toward Python packages. A package structures Python modules, which contain pre-written code that other developers have created for you. Modules are handy when you are looking for specific functionality.
Usually, pip3
is used to install and manage Python packages. It is the package manager for the official Python distribution. If you installed Python with Anaconda or Miniconda, however, the package manager is not pip3
, the package manager is conda
.
To learn more about conda
, visit the Conda documentation at the following link:
pip vs. conda
Although conda
is the package manager for Anaconda (and Miniconda), pip3
is also included with Anaconda (and Miniconda). Certain packages will not be available from conda
or Anaconda.org. When this happens, you can use pip3
to install packages.
Be careful when using pip3
, though. Using pip3
to install packages available to conda
can result in installation errors.
Conclusion
So far, you've been writing Python code on Codecademy. Your learning journey, however, is not complete unless you can also write Python code outside of Codecademy, on your computer. If you want to run your own Python programs, we recommend installing Miniconda (with Python 3.6), and then using conda
to install certain packages. Have fun coding!