Installing and Managing Python with Pyenv.

The goal of this post is to act as a reference on how to install and manage Python versions on Mac/Linux. I recently got annoyed I had to Google it again across several websites to grab the necessary terminal commands, so here we are.

Commands to Execute

First you’ll need homebrew. Install it if not already done.

We will use pyenv, which is (probably?) the best way to manage Python on your system in 2023. Let’s get started by opening your terminal and enter:

brew install pyenv

Once done, modify ~/.zprofileby adding:

eval "$(pyenv init --path)"

And then ~/.zshrc with:

if command -v pyenv 1>/dev/null 2>&1; then
    eval "$(pyenv init -)"
fi

Then install Python and set it globally by running (latest at time of writing this is 3.11.1, modify accordingly by checking the available list at pyenv install -l):

pyenv install 3.11.1 

pyenv global 3.11.1

Finally add the following to ~/.zprofile:

eval "$(pyenv init --path)"

Tada! We’re done. Relaunch your terminal or run source ~/.zprofile and Python will now be installed and ready to go.

Additional Useful Commands and Resources

Below are additional useful commands in no particular order:

pyenv versions # List installed Python versions
pyenv install --list # List available Python versions

To manage versions on your systems, read this realpython article.

Happy coding!