Python

Python

Python is a programming language that lets you work more quickly and integrate your systems more effectively. It comes pre-installed in nearly every macOS and Linux installation. It is easy to learn, easy to write, and easy to maintain.

brew search python | grep "python@" | sort --version-sort
brew install python@{VERSION}

Version management

I would strongly recommend installing multiple versions of Python using Homebrew.

Other solutions (e.g., pyenv, tox, nox) involve compiling source code from scratch, which means working out the C libraries that need to be installed first, and how to install/configure them.

If you want to write tests using tox/nox which install and run multiple versions of Python, I would strongly recommend using a Docker container. The official Debian image is a good one to use.

Package managers

Poetry (Recommended)

Poetry is a modern tool for installing and managing dependencies with virtual environments. It uses the modern pyproject.toml file to manage dependencies, and manages its own virtual environment.

# Add dependencies
brew install poetry
poetry init
poetry add --group=dev Sphinx

# Install dependencies
poetry install

pipenv

pipenv uses the Pipfile file to manage dependencies, and manages its own virtual environment. It's better than pip, but not as good as Poetry.

# Add dependencies
brew install pipenv
pipenv install Sphinx

# Install dependencies
pipenv install

pip

The old-school standard. pip has been shipping with Python for a very long time. It uses the outdated requirements.txt file to manage dependencies. It should always be used in collaboration with venv.

# Add dependencies
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip
python3 -m pip install Sphinx
python3 -m pip freeze > requirements.txt

# Install dependencies
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip
python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt

PyPy

PyPy is a replacement for CPython. The main reason to use it instead of CPython is speed — it runs generally faster. Our main executable comes with a Just-in-Time compiler. It is really fast in running most benchmarks—including very large and complicated Python applications, not just 10-liners.

So the case where PyPy works best is when executing long-running programs where a significant fraction of the time is spent executing Python code. This is the case covered by the majority of our benchmarks, but not all of them --- the goal of PyPy is to get speed but still support (ideally) any Python program.

brew install pypy

Version management

I would strongly recommend installing multiple versions of PyPy using Homebrew.

Other solutions (e.g., pyenv, tox, nox) involve compiling source code from scratch, which means working out the C libraries that need to be installed first, and how to install/configure them.

If you want to write tests using tox/nox which install and run multiple versions of Python, I would strongly recommend using a Docker container. The official Debian image is a good one to use.