Python Virtual Environment

A virtual environment in Python is an isolated environment on your computer, where you can run and test your Python projects. It allows you to manage project-specific dependencies without interfering with other projects or the original Python installation. Think of a virtual environment as a separate container for each Python project. Each container:

Can have different versions of the same package Using virtual environments is important because:

To create a virtual environment on your computer, open the command prompt, and navigate to the folder where you want to create your project, then type this command:

Run this command to create a virtual environment named myfirstproject

C:\Users\

>

$

This will set up a virtual environment, and create a folder named "myfirstproject" with subfolders and files, like this:

myfirstproject

Scripts.gitignore pyvenv.cfg

To use the virtual environment, you have to activate it with this command:

C:\Users\

> myfirstproject\Scripts\activate $

After activation, your prompt will change to show that you are now working in the active environment:

The command line will look like this when the virtual environment is active: (myfirstproject) C:\Users\

> (myfirstproject) ... $

Once your virtual environment is activated, you can install packages in it, using pip. We will install a package called 'cowsay':

Install 'cowsay' in the virtual environment: (myfirstproject) C:\Users\

> pip install cowsay (myfirstproject) ... $ pip install cowsay

'cowsay' is installed only in the virtual environment: