python

Interpreted general-purpose programming language

TLDR

Run Python script

$ python [script.py]

Start interactive REPL

$ python

Execute code

$ python -c "[print('Hello')]"

Run module

$ python -m [module]

Start HTTP server

$ python -m http.server [8080]

Check syntax

$ python -m py_compile [script.py]

SYNOPSIS

python [options] [script] [args]

python is the interpreter for the Python programming language, executing scripts or starting an interactive REPL session. It supports procedural, object-oriented, and functional programming styles, and is widely used for scripting, web development, data analysis, automation, and scientific computing.When invoked without arguments, it starts an interactive read-eval-print loop for experimentation. With a script file as argument, it compiles and executes the code. The -m flag runs installed modules as scripts, enabling built-in utilities like HTTP servers, JSON formatters, and package management through pip. On many systems, python may refer to Python 2; use python3 explicitly for Python 3.

PARAMETERS

SCRIPT

Python script to run.

ARGS

Script arguments.

-c CODE

Execute code string.

-m MODULE

Run library module.

-i

Interactive after script.

-O

Optimize bytecode.

-V

Show version.

-u

Unbuffered output.

INSTALL

sudo dnf install python3

sudo pacman -S python

sudo apk add python3

brew install python3

nix profile install nixpkgs#python3

CAVEATS

Python 2 vs 3 differences. Use python3 for Python 3.

HISTORY

Python was created by Guido van Rossum in 1991.