Creating a Python Virtual Environment for Beginners

Python Virtual Environment is a tool used to create isolated Python environments. It allows you to create multiple, isolated Python environments which can be used to run different versions of Python, packages, and modules. This is especially useful when you have multiple projects which require different versions of Python and packages.

 

A virtual environment is a directory which contains all the necessary executables to use the packages that a Python project would need. It keeps all the project’s dependencies in one place and isolates them from the global Python installation. This makes it easier to manage different versions of packages and modules for different projects.

 

To create a virtual environment, you need to use the virtualenv command. This command will create a directory with the name of your choice and will install the packages needed for your project. You can also specify a specific version of Python to use in the virtual environment.

 

Once the virtual environment is created, you can activate it by using the source command. This command will make the virtual environment the default python environment. You can also deactivate the virtual environment by using the deactivate command.

 

You can also install packages in the virtual environment using the pip command. This will install the packages in the virtual environment and not in the global Python installation. This makes it easier to manage different versions of packages for different projects.

 

Using a virtual environment is a great way to keep your projects organized and to keep your global Python installation clean. It also allows you to easily switch between different versions of Python and packages for different projects.