You can use your os package manger to install Python and any other optional packages.

Ubuntu:
$ sudo apt install python3 python3-dev python3-pip python3-venv
Red Hat:
$ sudo dnf install python3 python3-devel python3-pip python3-venv
You can also install Python from source: https://devguide.python.org/getting-started/setup-building/

You can check your installation: $ python --version Python 3.11.4
$ pip --version pip 23.2.1 from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.11/lib/python3.11/site-packages/pip (python 3.11)
Installing a new Python package (with the "--user" flag, the package will be installed for the specified user only): $ python -m pip install --user package-name
Upgrading an existing package: $ python -m pip install --upgrade package-name
You can use the same command to upgrade pip: $ python -m pip install --upgrade pip
Accessing Python Shell: $ python Python 3.11.4 (v3.11.4:d2340ef257, Jun 6 2023, 19:15:51) [Clang 13.0.0 (clang-1300.0.29.30)] on darwin Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information. >>> print('Hello Python') Hello Python >>> quit()
Execute a Python program in file: $ echo "print('Hello Python')" > hello.py $ python hello.py Hello Python

venv module: https://docs.python.org/3/library/venv.html

A virtual environment is an environment where all new installed packages are isolated and independent from the Python base installation. Within the virtual environment you can use packages that have already been installed in the Python base installation.

To create a virtual environment, you need run the "venv" virtual environment module from a specific location of your project. You need to provide a location and name for the virtual environment.

$ mkdir -p /home/mtitek/python $ python3 -m venv /home/mtitek/python/py_venv $ ls -1 /home/mtitek/python/py_venv bin include lib pyvenv.cfg

To activate a virtual environment, you need to execute the command "activate" in "/home/mtitek/python/py_venv/bin/": $ source /home/mtitek/python/py_venv/bin/activate (py_venv) $
When the virtual environment is active, you will see the name of the environment in parentheses ("(py_venv)").

To deactivate and stop using a virtual environment, you need to execute the command "deactivate": (py_venv) $ deactivate $
You can also deactivate the virtual environment by closing the terminal it's running in.
The packages installed in the virtual environment will not be available when the environment is deactivated.

$ python >>> import this The Zen of Python, by Tim Peters Beautiful is better than ugly. Explicit is better than implicit. Simple is better than complex. Complex is better than complicated. Flat is better than nested. Sparse is better than dense. Readability counts. Special cases aren't special enough to break the rules. Although practicality beats purity. Errors should never pass silently. Unless explicitly silenced. In the face of ambiguity, refuse the temptation to guess. There should be one-- and preferably only one --obvious way to do it. Although that way may not be obvious at first unless you're Dutch. Now is better than never. Although never is often better than *right* now. If the implementation is hard to explain, it's a bad idea. If the implementation is easy to explain, it may be a good idea. Namespaces are one honking great idea -- let's do more of those! >>>