In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Python on CentOS 8. Python is an open-source and beginner-friendly programming language. Python 3.8 is the latest major release of the Python language, and it includes many new features such as postponed evaluation of type annotations, support for data classes and context variables, customization of access to module attributes, and more.
This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of Python on a CentOS 8 server.
Prerequisites
- A server running one of the following operating systems: CentOS 8.
- It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
- SSH access to the server (or just open Terminal if you’re on a desktop).
- A
non-root sudo useror access to theroot user. We recommend acting as anon-root sudo user, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.
Install Python on CentOS 8
Step 1. First, let’s start by ensuring your system is up-to-date.
sudo dnf update
Step 2. Installing Python on CentOS.
- Install Python 3
Run the following command to install Python 3:
sudo dnf install python3
To verify the installation, check the Python version by typing:
$ python3 --version Python 3.6.8
- Install Python 2
Run the following command to install Python 2:
sudo dnf install python2
Verify the installation:
$ python2 --version Python 2.7.15
Step 3. Set Default Python Version.
To set Python 3 as the system-wide unversioned python command, use the alternatives utility:
sudo alternatives --set python /usr/bin/python3
To set Python 2 as the system-wide unversioned python command, use the alternatives utility:
sudo alternatives --set python /usr/bin/python2
Congratulations! You have successfully installed Python. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing Python on CentOS 8 system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official Python website.
