.. _installation:

Properly Installing Python
==========================

.. image:: /_static/photos/36137232412_fdcb0f84eb_k_d.jpg

There's a good chance that you already have Python on your operating system.

If so, you do not need to install or configure anything else to use Python.
Having said that, I would strongly recommend that you install the tools and
libraries described in the guides below before you start building Python
applications for real-world use. In particular, you should always install
Setuptools, Pip, and Virtualenv — they make it much easier for you to use
other third-party Python libraries.

.. note:: The use of **Python 3** is *highly* preferred over Python 2. Consider upgrading your applications and infrastructure if you find yourself *still* using Python 2 in production today. If you are using Python 3, congratulations — you are indeed a person of excellent taste.
  —*Kenneth Reitz*


Installation Guides
-------------------

These guides go over the proper installation of :ref:`Python <which-python>`
for development purposes, as well as setuptools, pip and virtualenv.

Python 3 Installation Guides
////////////////////////////

- :ref:`Python 3 on MacOS <install3-osx>`.
- :ref:`Python 3 on Windows <install3-windows>`.
- :ref:`Python 3 on Linux <install3-linux>`.

Legacy Python 2 Installation Guides
///////////////////////////////////

- :ref:`Python 2 on MacOS <install-osx>`.
- :ref:`Python 2 on Microsoft Windows <install-windows>`.
- :ref:`Python 2 on Linux <install-linux>`.