Python venv: A Quick Start Guide

Getting Started with venv

What is venv?

venv is a Python module that allows you to create isolated Python environments. This is useful for managing dependencies for different projects without interfering with each other or your system-wide Python installation.

Creating a Virtual Environment

Open your terminal or command prompt.
Navigate to your project directory.
Create a virtual environment:
```
python -m venv my_env
```
Replace my_env with your desired environment name.

Activating the Virtual Environment

On Windows:

my_env\Scripts\activate

On macOS/Linux:

source my_env/bin/activate

Once activated, your terminal prompt will change to indicate the active environment.

Installing Packages

You can now install packages within your virtual environment using pip:

pip install package_name

Deactivating the Virtual Environment

To deactivate the environment:

deactivate

Best Practices:

Create a virtual environment for each project.
Activate the appropriate environment before working on a project.
Keep your virtual environments organised.
Consider using a virtual environment manager like virtualenvwrapper or poetry for more advanced features.

Example:

Let's say you have two projects: project_A and project_B.

Create a virtual environment for project_A:
```
python -m venv env_A
```

Activate the environment and install required packages:

source env_A/bin/activate
pip install numpy pandas matplotlib

Create a virtual environment for project_B:
```
python -m venv env_B
```