Skip to content

Getting Started

To get started with instant-python we would cover some of the basic topics that will allow you to quickly begin using the library.

If you want to go directly to the guides and learn all the possibilities that the library offers, you can check the Commands section.

Installation

To ensure a clean and isolated environment, we recommend installing instant-python using a virtual environment. At your own risk, you can install it at your system Python installation, but this is not recommended. Below are the preferred installation methods.

Using pipx

The recommended way to install instant-python is using pipx. pipx installs Python applications in isolated environments, ensuring that they do not interfere with other Python applications.

pipx install instant-python

If you do not have pipx installed, you can install it using pip.

pip install --user pipx

Using pyenv

If you already manage your Python versions using a tool like Pyenv, you can install instant-python using pip with pyenv's global Python version.

pip install instant-python

A guide to install and configure pyenv can be found here

Features Overview

Once you have installed instant-python, you can check that is available by running:

ipy --help

This will display the help message where you could see the available command and options.

Create the configuration file

With the new version, instant-python delegates all its data to a configuration file. You can create this file manually and fill it with the allowed parameters, or you can use the config command to fill it by an interactive wizard.

  • ipy config: Creates an ipy.yml configuration file in the current directory.

Create a project

Generate a new project using the init command. This command will create a new folder and place all your project files inside it.

  • ipy init: Creates a new project in the current directory using the default configuration file ipy.yml.

If a different file is used or is placed in a different location, you can specify the path to it with the --config or -c option.

Next steps

Now that you have a basic understanding of how to use instant-python you can advance to the commands section to learn more about instant-python commands and how to use them in more detail to create your Python projects.