How to install Python and verify that it works?

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Installing the Python interpreter and verifying its functionality is the first step for every developer starting their programming journey in this language. This process is quite simple, but it requires attention to detail, especially during the stage of setting up paths in the operating system.

To begin, you need to go to the official python.org website and download the latest stable version of the installer for your operating system. When installing on Windows, it is extremely important to check the box next to "add python to path" so that the system automatically adds the path to the executable file to the system environment variables.

After the installation is complete, be sure to check that everything is configured correctly and the system sees the interpreter. To do this, open the command prompt on Windows or the terminal on macOS and Linux.

1. Run the command python --version or python3 --version to ensure the terminal returns the current version of the installed interpreter without errors.
2. Check the availability of the package manager using the command python -m pip --version, which will display the version of the pip library manager.
3. Update pip to the latest state using the command python -m pip install -U pip to avoid potential issues when installing third-party libraries.
4. Launch the REPL interactive shell by simply typing python in the terminal to execute small code snippets in real time and test their operation.

Using these simple steps ensures that your working environment is ready for writing code and you will not encounter basic configuration issues. If errors occur at any stage, the problem is most likely rooted in incorrectly set PATH environment variables.

How to install Python and verify that it works?

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