Python is a popular programming language that is widely used for a variety of tasks, including web development, data analysis, and machine learning. Ubuntu 20.04 is a Linux-based operating system that is known for its stability and ease of use. In this article, we will show you how to install Python 3.7 on Ubuntu 20.04.
Before we begin, it is important to note that Ubuntu 20.04 ships with Python 3.8. However, some users may prefer to use Python 3.7 for compatibility reasons or for a specific project.
The first step in installing Python 3.7 on Ubuntu 20.04 is to update the package index by running the following command in the terminal:
sudo apt update
Next, we will install the necessary dependencies by running the following command:
sudo apt install -y build-essential zlib1g-dev libncurses5-dev libgdbm-dev libnss3-dev libssl-dev libreadline-dev libffi-dev wget
Once the dependencies are installed, we can download the source code for Python 3.7 by running the following command:
wget https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.7.10/Python-3.7.10.tgz
We will then extract the source code by running the following command:
tar -xvf Python-3.7.10.tgz
Next, we will navigate to the extracted directory by running the following command:
cd Python-3.7.10
Once inside the directory, we will configure and build Python 3.7 by running the following commands:
./configure --enable-optimizations
make -j 8
Finally, we will install Python 3.7 by running the following command:
sudo make altinstall
Now that Python 3.7 is installed, we can verify the installation by running the following command:
python3.7 --version
This should display the version number of Python 3.7, which should be 3.7.10.
It's important to note that if you have python3.8 already installed, you may have to use the command python3.7 instead of simply python3 to run python3.7.
You can also install pip3.7 to manage python3.7 packages by running the following command:
sudo apt install python3.7-venv python3.7-dev python3.7-pip
In this article, we have shown you how to install Python 3.7 on Ubuntu 20.04. This will allow you to use Python 3.7 for your projects, while still having access to the latest version of Python.
One important thing to note is that if you have other versions of Python installed on your system, installing Python 3.7 may cause issues with certain scripts or programs that depend on the other versions. To avoid this, it's recommended to use virtual environments when working with multiple versions of Python.
A virtual environment is a way to isolate different Python environments on a single machine, allowing you to have multiple versions of Python and their associated packages installed without conflicts. One popular tool for creating virtual environments is virtualenv. You can install it by running
pip install virtualenv
Once virtualenv is installed, you can create a new virtual environment for Python 3.7 by running the following command:
virtualenv -p python3.7 myenv
This will create a new directory called "myenv" in your current directory, which will contain a copy of Python 3.7 and a version of pip that is specific to that environment. To activate the virtual environment, you can use the command
source myenv/bin/activate
Once the virtual environment is activated, you can install packages using pip as you normally would, and they will be installed in the virtual environment rather than globally on your system. To deactivate the virtual environment, you can use the command
deactivate
Another important thing is that since Ubuntu 20.04 comes with python3.8, you may have to configure your system to use python3.7 as the default python version. To do this, you can use the command
sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/python3 python3 /usr/bin/python3.7 1
It will set python3.7 as the default version of python3.
In conclusion, installing Python 3.7 on Ubuntu 20.04 is a straightforward process, but it's important to take steps to avoid conflicts with other versions of Python that may be installed on your system. Using virtual environments can help you manage multiple versions of Python and their associated packages, and setting python3.7 as the default version can help you avoid issues with scripts and programs that depend on specific versions of Python.
Popular questions
- How can I update the package index before installing Python 3.7 on Ubuntu 20.04?
- To update the package index on Ubuntu 20.04, you can run the following command in the terminal:
sudo apt update
- What command should I use to install the necessary dependencies before installing Python 3.7 on Ubuntu 20.04?
- To install the necessary dependencies before installing Python 3.7 on Ubuntu 20.04, you can run the following command:
sudo apt install -y build-essential zlib1g-dev libncurses5-dev libgdbm-dev libnss3-dev libssl-dev libreadline-dev libffi-dev wget
- How can I download the source code for Python 3.7 on Ubuntu 20.04?
- To download the source code for Python 3.7 on Ubuntu 20.04, you can use the following command:
wget https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.7.10/Python-3.7.10.tgz
- How can I set python3.7 as the default version of python3 in Ubuntu 20.04?
- To set python3.7 as the default version of python3 in Ubuntu 20.04, you can use the following command:
sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/python3 python3 /usr/bin/python3.7 1
- How can I use virtual environments when working with multiple versions of Python on Ubuntu 20.04?
- To use virtual environments when working with multiple versions of Python on Ubuntu 20.04, you can install virtualenv by running:
pip install virtualenv
Once virtualenv is installed, you can create a new virtual environment for Python 3.7 by running the following command:
virtualenv -p python3.7 myenv
Once the virtual environment is created, you can activate it using
source myenv/bin/activate
then you can use pip to install packages in the virtual environment, those packages will not affect globally installed packages, and you can deactivate the environment by running
deactivate
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