Python is one of the most popular programming languages in the world. It is widely used in many areas, such as web development, machine learning, data science, scientific computing, and more. If you want to start learning Python or develop Python-based applications in Ubuntu, you will need to install Python on your system first. In this article, we will show you how to install Python in Ubuntu step by step.

Step 1: Update Your System

Before you begin the installation process, it is a good idea to update your Ubuntu system. Open the terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T and type the following command:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

This command will update the package list and upgrade your system if there are any upgrades available.

Step 2: Install Python from Ubuntu Repository

The easiest way to install Python on Ubuntu is to use the Ubuntu package manager. Python is available in the default Ubuntu repository. You can use the following command to install Python:
sudo apt-get install python

This command will install the latest version of Python available in the Ubuntu repository. Once the installation is complete, you can check the Python version by running the following command:
python –version

You should see the version number of the installed Python.

Step 3: Install Python Development Tools

If you want to develop Python applications, you will need Python development tools. The most popular Python development tool is pip, which is a package installer for Python packages. You can install pip on Ubuntu by running the following command:

sudo apt-get install python-pip

This command will install pip along with other required packages. Once the installation is complete, you can check the pip version by running the following command:
pip –version

You should see the version number of the installed pip.

Step 4: Install Python Virtual Environment

A virtual environment is a tool that allows you to create an isolated Python environment for each project. It is a best practice to use a virtual environment for each project to avoid conflicts between the package dependencies. You can install the virtual environment tool by running the following command:
sudo apt-get install python-virtualenv

Once the installation is complete, you can create a new virtual environment using the following command:
virtualenv myenv

This command will create a new virtual environment with the name “myenv”. You can activate the virtual environment using the following command:

source myenv/bin/activate

Once you activate the virtual environment, you can install Python packages using pip. All the installed packages will be isolated within the virtual environment.

Step 5: Install Python from Source

If you want to install a specific version of Python that is not available in the Ubuntu repository, you can install Python from source. Installing Python from source can be a complicated process, but it gives you full control over the installation. Here are the steps for installing Python from source:

1. Download the Python source code from the Python official website.

2. Extract the downloaded file using the following command:

tar xvf Python-3.9.6.tar.xz

Replace Python-3.9.6.tar.xz with the downloaded file name.

3. Navigate to the extracted directory using the following command:

cd Python-3.9.6

Replace Python-3.9.6 with the extracted directory name.

4. Configure the build using the following command:

./configure –enable-optimizations

This command will configure the build with optimizations.

5. Build and install Python using the following commands:

make

sudo make install

These commands will build and install Python on your system.