2.1. Getting and installing the latest version of Python
2.1.1. On Linux
Python comes preinstalled on most Linux distributions, and is available as a package on all others. However there are certain features you might want to use that are not available on your distro’s package. You can compile the latest version of Python from source.
In the event that the latest version of Python doesn’t come preinstalled and isn’t in the repositories as well, you can make packages for your own distro. Have a look at the following links:
2.1.1.1. Installing IDLE
In some cases, IDLE might not be included in your Python installation.
For Debian and Ubuntu users:
sudoaptupdate sudoaptinstallidle
For Fedora, RHEL, and CentOS users:
sudodnfinstallpython3-idle
For SUSE and OpenSUSE users:
sudozypperinstallpython3-idle
For Alpine Linux users:
sudoapkaddpython3-idle
2.1.2. On FreeBSD and OpenBSD
FreeBSD users, to add the package use:
pkginstallpython3
OpenBSD users, to add the package use:
pkg_add-rpython pkg_addftp://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/4.2/packages/<insertyourarchitecturehere>/python-<version>.tgz For example i386 users get the 2.5.1 version of Python using:
pkg_addftp://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/4.2/packages/i386/python-2.5.1p2.tgz
2.2. Building Python
See also
If you want to contribute to CPython, refer to the
, which includes build instructions and other tips on setting up environment.
If you want to compile CPython yourself, first thing you should do is get the
. You can download either the latest release’s source or grab a fresh
. You will also need to install the
.
The build process consists of the usual commands:
./configure make makeinstall
and caveats for specific Unix platforms are extensively documented in the
file in the root of the Python source tree.
Warning
makeinstall can overwrite or masquerade the python3 binary. makealtinstall is therefore recommended instead of makeinstall since it only installs exec_prefix/bin/pythonversion.
2.3. Python-related paths and files
These are subject to difference depending on local installation conventions;
and
are installation-dependent and should be interpreted as for GNU software; they may be the same.
For example, on most Linux systems, the default for both is /usr.
File/directory
Meaning
exec_prefix/bin/python3
Recommended location of the interpreter.
prefix/lib/pythonversion, exec_prefix/lib/pythonversion
Recommended locations of the directories containing the standard modules.
prefix/include/pythonversion, exec_prefix/include/pythonversion
Recommended locations of the directories containing the include files needed for developing Python extensions and embedding the interpreter.
2.4. Miscellaneous
To easily use Python scripts on Unix, you need to make them executable, e.g. with
$ chmod+xscript and put an appropriate Shebang line at the top of the script. A good choice is usually
#!/usr/bin/env python3which searches for the Python interpreter in the whole PATH. However, some Unices may not have the env command, so you may need to hardcode /usr/bin/python3 as the interpreter path.
To use shell commands in your Python scripts, look at the
module.
2.5. Custom OpenSSL
To use your vendor’s OpenSSL configuration and system trust store, locate the directory with openssl.cnf file or symlink in /etc. On most distribution the file is either in /etc/ssl or /etc/pki/tls. The directory should also contain a cert.pem file and/or a certs directory.
$ find/etc/-nameopenssl.cnf-printf"%h\n"/etc/ssl
Download, build, and install OpenSSL. Make sure you use install_sw and not install. The install_sw target does not override openssl.cnf.
$ curl-Ohttps://www.openssl.org/source/openssl-VERSION.tar.gz $ tarxzfopenssl-VERSION $ pushdopenssl-VERSION $ ./config\--prefix=/usr/local/custom-openssl\--libdir=lib\--openssldir=/etc/ssl $ make-j1depend $ make-j8 $ makeinstall_sw $ popd
Build Python with custom OpenSSL (see the configure --with-openssl and --with-openssl-rpath options)
$ pushdpython-3.x.x $ ./configure-C\--with-openssl=/usr/local/custom-openssl\--with-openssl-rpath=auto\--prefix=/usr/local/python-3.x.x $ make-j8 $ makealtinstall
Note
Patch releases of OpenSSL have a backwards compatible ABI. You don’t need to recompile Python to update OpenSSL. It’s sufficient to replace the custom OpenSSL installation with a newer version.