Python Installation

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Python Installation#

There are many ways to get Python, a few of which are listed here. If you are new to Python and related open-source software, we recommend using Miniconda or Anaconda. Choose Miniconda if you are comfortable using the command line interface.

Direct installation of Python is a good option if you want to build environments quickly, your project is limited to Python and/or you don’t mind installing and troubleshooting software installation for your particular copmputer operating system (for example, using tools like LaTeX, Pandoc, or non-Python programming languages).

Note

The installation instructions here use conda-forge as the default channel for creating and managing environments with conda, for example, environments are created with the optional argument create -c conda-forge. This is primarily to avoid license issues, as the default channel has more restrictive terms of use, and has a negligible impact on the installation of Python.

When installing Python packages, conda-forge generally has higher package versions, so it is common to use this as the default channel.

Quick Start#

One of the easiest ways to get Python is via Miniconda. Here are the minimum steps required to get started on Windows (Python is installed on Mac OS by default); see the associated pages if you need a more detailed guide.

  1. Execute the following in the Windows Command Prompt:

curl https://repo.anaconda.com/miniconda/Miniconda3-latest-Windows-x86_64.exe -o miniconda.exe
start /wait "" miniconda.exe /S
del miniconda.exe

  1. Add ./miniconda/Scripts to the Path environment variable for your user account (not the system)

  2. Confirm the installation works by using conda --version in the Windows Command Prompt

  3. Create an environment by executing the following, replacing the <...> as needed:

conda create -c conda-forge -n <environment name> python=<3.XX>
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