Python Runtime Environments

This article tries to bring structure into the different runtime environments for Python for running python programs or Jupyter Notebooks and their advantages and drawbacks.

This site is a major work in progress

Linux Environments

Debian

Python runtine environment on debian is managed by Debian distribution. This means that you can not install additional packages with pip install <package>. If you try you get the following output:

matt@mypc:~$ pip install matplotlib
error: externally-managed-environment

× This environment is externally managed
╰─> To install Python packages system-wide, try apt install
    python3-xyz, where xyz is the package you are trying to
    install.

    If you wish to install a non-Debian-packaged Python package,
    create a virtual environment using python3 -m venv path/to/venv.
    Then use path/to/venv/bin/python and path/to/venv/bin/pip. Make
    sure you have python3-full installed.

    If you wish to install a non-Debian packaged Python application,
    it may be easiest to use pipx install xyz, which will manage a
    virtual environment for you. Make sure you have pipx installed.

    See /usr/share/doc/python3.11/README.venv for more information.

note: If you believe this is a mistake, please contact your Python installation or OS distribution provider. You can override this, at the risk of breaking your Python installation or OS, by passing --break-system-packages.
hint: See PEP 668 for the detailed specification.

There are two options to proceed:

Debian Managed Packages

Try and find needed modules in the packages provided by Debian distribution:

apt-get install <package>    # Install package
aptitude                     # Interface for searching and installing available packages

Virtual Environment (venv)

Install additional virtual environment as described in the message above, i.e.:

python3 -m venv ~/venv/finpy

Now either issue commands against that environments as follows:

~/venv/finpy/bin/python script1.py
~/venv/finpy/bin/pip install <package>

For further reading about pip see PIP Cheat Sheet

A more comfortable option is to switch to the environment sepcified by its path:

source ~/venv/finpy/bin/activate

Example:

matt@mypc:~$ source ~/venv/finpy/bin/activate
(finpy) matt@mypc:~$

All subsequent commands will be executed in the context of the active environment, which is now listed in parentheses.

In order to leave the virtual environment again:

matt@mypc:~$ deactivate

Windows Environments

Miniconda

Further reading: Miniconda Cheat Sheet

For handling PIP within Miniconda see PIP Cheat Sheet

Known Issues

Not all packages seem to work properly. Known issues:

• yfinance.download seems not to work properly on Windows