Python Tutorial – Learn Python Step by Step

This Python tutorial is a one-stop programming guide for all beginners. It can help you learn Python in simple and easy steps from elementary to advanced levels.

Python is very intuitive and easy to learn. It is also one of the most preferred programming languages for working in Data Analytics and Machine Learning domains.

According to the TIOBE index, Python is ranked the No. 1 programming language in 2024. Its rating spiked by 16.41% and usage has increased by 1.90% from the last year. Hence, you made the right decision to learn Python.

If you are a beginner to Python programming, we highly recommend you learn with the flow of this tutorial. However, you may directly jump onto the Python tutorial section. Apart from this standard list of tutorials, you may check out other parts of our website to find out more things to learn.

Python is easy to learn, highly readable, and simple to use. It has a clean and English-like syntax which requires less coding and lets the programmer focus on the business logic rather than thinking about the nitty-gritty of the language.

We’ve organized our Python tutorials to provide depth, detail, and degree. Even a beginner can refer to it and learn Python with the least effort, without investing much time. This tutorial would make you apt and apply this knowledge to your live projects.

The below sections cover Python history, features, domains, why to learn Python, and how to install and run Python on platforms like Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.

History of Python

It was a Dutch programmer, Guido Van Rossum, who wrote Python as a hobby programming project back in the late 1980s. Since then, it has grown to become one of the most polished languages in the computing world.

What Led Guido to Create Python?

In his own words, Guido revealed the secret behind the inception of Python. He started working on it as a weekend project utilizing his free time during Christmas in Dec’1989. He originally wanted to create an interpreter, a descendant of the ABC programming language of which he was a contributing developer. And we all know that it was none other than Python, which gradually transformed into a full-fledged programming language.

How did the Name Python come about?

Guido initially thought the Unix/C hackers to be the target users of his project. And more importantly, he was fond of watching the famous comedy series [The Monty Python’s Flying Circus]. Thus, the name Python struck his mind as not only has it appealed to his taste but also to his target users.

List of Known Python Releases

Silent Features of Python

Python programming language includes every possible feature required for rapid development.

Code Quality

Python code is highly readable, which makes it more reusable and maintainable. It has broad support for advanced software engineering paradigms such as object-oriented (OO) and functional programming.

Developer Productivity

Python has a clean and elegant coding style. It uses an English-like syntax and is dynamically typed. So, you never declare a variable. A simple assignment binds a name to an object of any type. Python code is significantly smaller than the equivalent C++/Java code. It implies there is less to type, limited to debug, and fewer to maintain. Unlike compiled languages, Python programs don’t need compiling and linking, which further boosts the developer’s productivity.

Code Portability

Since Python is an interpreted language, the interpreter has to manage the task of portability. Also, Python’s interpreter is smart enough to execute your program on different platforms to produce the same output. So, you never need to change a line in your code.

Built-in and External Libraries

Python packages a large no. of the prebuilt and portable set of libraries. You can load them as and when needed to use the desired functionality.

Must Read: Python Libraries for Data Science and Machine Learning

Component Integration

Some applications require interaction across different components to support the end-to-end workflows. One such component could be a Python script while others be a program written in languages like Java/C++ or any other technology.

Python has several ways to support cross-application communication. It allows mechanisms like loading of C and C++ libraries or vice-versa, integration with Java and DotNET components, communication using COM/Silverlight, and interfacing with USB devices over serial ports. It can even exchange data over networks using protocols like SOAP, XML-RPC, and CORBA.

Free to Use, Modify and Redistribute

Python is an OSS. You are free to use it, make amends in the source code, and redistribute it, even for commercial interests. It is because of such openness that Python has garnered a vast community base that is continually growing and adding value.

Object-oriented from the Core

Python primarily follows the object-oriented programming (OOP) design. OOP provides an intuitive way of structuring your code, and a solid understanding of the concepts behind it can let you make the most out of your coding. With OOP, it is easy to visualize the complex problem into smaller flows by defining objects and how they correlate. And then, we can form the actual logic to make the program work.

Python Programming Domains

The following are some of the most common domains that require Python for development.

Web Application Development

Python has the lion’s share in the field of web development. Many employers look for full-stack programmers who know Python. You can become one of them by learning frameworks (WAF) like Django, Flask, CherryPy, and Bottle, which give extensive support for web development. All of these are developed using Python. These frameworks deliver essential features to simplify tasks related to content management, accessing a backend database, and handling network protocols like HTTP, SMTP, XML-RPC, FTP, and POP. Some of the known online products created in Python are Plone (Content Management System), Zope application server, Quixote web framework, and ERP5, an open-source enterprise solution used in the aerospace field.

Data Science and Machine Learning

Data science, analytics, and machine learning are evolving at a prolific rate. Many companies are now seeking machine learning engineers who can filter through the stacks of data and support them in making the right business decisions. And Python has now become the first language for everyone entering into the ML domain. It provides all kinds of tools and models to programmers for tasks like web scraping, data collection, cleaning, and algorithms. So, if you are apt in Python programming, then it is the right time to enter into this domain.

Read: How to Become a Machine Learning Engineer

Scientific and Numeric Computing

Python has become the obvious choice for working in Scientific and Numeric Applications. There are multiple reasons for this advancement. First and foremost, Python is a free and open-source language. It even allows you to modify its source code and redistribute it.

Next, it is getting the support of a growing number of specialized modules like NumPy, SciPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, and IPython. All of these are available for free and provide a reasonable alternative to paid products like Matlab. Hence, it is one of the reasons for it to become more dominant in the field of Scientific and Numeric.

Hence, Python is becoming a leader in this field. The focus of Python language is to bring more productivity and increase readability.

GUI Programming

Python has some inherent qualities like clean and straightforward coding syntax as well as dynamic typing support. These work as the catalyst while developing complex GUI and image processing applications.

Python’s clean syntax and tremendous support of many GUI libraries (like wxWidgets, pyqt, or pyside) made Programmers deliver graphics software like Inkscape, Scribus, Paint Shop Pro, and GIMP.

In addition to the 2D imaging solutions given above, Python is even propelling many 3D animation software like 3ds Max, Blender, Cinema 4D, Houdini, and Maya. These applications integrate with Python for automation to speed up their workflows and eliminate the need for doing them manually.

Software Prototyping

Python has many qualities that make it a natural choice for prototyping. The first is being an open-source programming language, a massive no. of users follow and contribute to its development. Further, the lightness, versatility, scalability, and flexibility of refactoring code in Python speed up the development process from the initial prototype.

Hence, Python gives you an easy-to-use interface to create prototypes. For example, with Pygame (a multimedia library), you can prototype a game in different forms, test it, and tailor it to match your requirements. Finally, you can take clues from the selected prototype and develop it using languages like C++/Java.

Professional Training

Python is indeed the right programming language for teaching and training purposes. It can be a stepping stone for beginners to enter into vocational training. They can even cover overlapping areas like Data Analytics and Machine Learning.

Hence, there is a massive demand for professional trainers who can teach both basic and advanced-level Python programming. You can impart training offline in a classroom or use tools like Skype or Hangout to do it online.

Click here to directly go to the Python tutorial section.

Why Should You Learn Python Programming?

Writing Python code is so much fun that you won’t feel it like a routine programming task. Here are a bunch of compelling reasons for you to learn Python and read this Python tutorial.

Nonrestrictive Programming Syntax

Python is the language that even a non-programmer can understand. It is a highly readable, problem-oriented language that lets you focus on writing the logic instead of getting into the syntax nitty-gritty.

Here is a sample program for implementing an Interest Calculator. By looking at it, you can feel how easy it is to write and understand the code in Python.

print('Interest Calculator:')

amount = float(input('Principal amount ?'))
roi = float(input('Rate of Interest ?'))
yrs = int(input('Duration (no. of years) ?'))

total = (amount * pow(1 + (roi/100), yrs))
interest = total - amount
print('\nInterest = %0.2f' %interest)

No Explicit Declaration

In Python, don’t use type specifiers for declaring variables. You can do so without mentioning any data types in Python. Also, there is no need to use any separator like a semicolon to mark the end of a statement.

In Python, indentation replaces brackets to group a block of instructions. You can use either tabs or spaces to indent the code.

However, Python enforces some rules (PEP 8), such as using four spaces per indentation level. So, many such facets in Python make learning simpler for beginners.

State of the Art OOP Support

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is built into the Python language. It lays down a model that derives a solution by creating objects, defining relationships, and binding data. However, the procedural programming methodology takes on a top-down approach and solves one problem at a time while splitting it into smaller ones. On the other hand, OOP is a bottom-up problem-solving technique that seeks a blueprint of the solution at the onset and leaves implementation for the later.

Using classes, building inheritance, and constructing objects are keys to developing yourself as a professional programmer. And you can quickly master these concepts in Python and produce better quality projects, quicker than in other languages.

Python lets you minimize the size of the code you write and accomplishes more.

Powerful Debugging

If you have a product in dev and QA logged a defect, then debugging is what you should be doing. However, if a customer has reported an issue, then debugging gets far more critical. Here also, Python leads the way by providing tools like pdb, pudb, and PyDebug that make debugging experience more comfortable.

For example, the pudb tool can quickly guide programmers to dig through the code and nail down the problem.

It is a fact that most languages are working to improve their debugging tools. But with Python, they are only getting better.

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How to Get Python Running on Your System?

Python programming is platform-independent. It means that you write the code once, and it should run on all supported platforms. Here, you can find the steps to install Python on three major platforms: Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows. If you already have Python installed, then you can proceed to the next section of this Python tutorial.

Install Python on Mac OS X

☛ The latest version of Mac OS X is 10.13 (High Sierra), which has Python 2.7 pre-installed. Beginners can start to use Python 2 and learn to program. However, professional programmers should upgrade to Python 3.6.

☛ To install Python on Mac, go to the Download Python for Mac OS X page, select the desired package, and click to download. Next, launch the downloaded package, follow the steps, and finish the installation.

☛ If you are a command-line geek and love to use a console for routine system tasks, then run the following commands to install Python.

Firstly, open the terminal and install the HomeBrew package manager for Mac OS X.

$ ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"

Enter the below command to check the Brew installation status.

$ brew --version

Now, use the Brew package manager to install Python 3.

$ brew install python3

☛ Installing Python with Brew also installs the PIP tool (pip3). It is a quick update manager to check out the available modules in the Python repository.

Run Python on Mac OS X

☛ Since now you have Python installed, it’s time to start coding. But you would need an IDE for professional development. It would make you more efficient and productive. We recommend the community version of PyCharm and Eclipse with PyDev. Both of these are free and full of features. However, you can read our reviews of the world’s best Python IDEs and choose one for yourself.

☛ However, you can also begin with IDLE, the default IDE that comes with Python. Or even use the Python console to run your first few lines of code. In Python, you can do a lot with a single line of code. For example, you can write a function that checks for odd no, call it with input, and print the outcome, but all of that in one single line. Please see the code below.

print((lambda isOdd: isOdd(3))(lambda x: x % 2 != 0))

If you type the above line on a Python CLI, then it would just take an enter key to execute. However, if you are using IDLE to write this code in a script, then press F5 to run it. Either way, this simple one line of code would print “True” in its output.

Install Python on Linux (Ubuntu)

☛ Ubuntu 16.04 has both Python 2 and Python 3 installed by default. However, you can double-check if they are up to date or not using the apt-get commands.

$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get -y upgrade

☛ Once the above process completes, verify the Python version with the following command:

$ python3 -V

# Output.

Python 3.6.1

☛ To manage available modules and libraries for Python, let’s install PIP.

$ sudo apt-get install -y python3-pip

☛ The PIP tool downloads new and updates existing packages you may like to use during the development. Here is the command to install the Python packages:

$ pip3 install <package_to_install>

# For example.

$ pip3 install numpy

☛ Now is the time to check out a few more libs and dev tools that could be pretty useful later. Run the below command to add them to your Python installation.

$ sudo apt-get install build-essential libssl-dev libffi-dev python-dev

☛ You can also set up an isolated space on your system for Python projects. For this, install the venv module. It is a component of the standard Python 3 library.

$ sudo apt-get install -y python3-venv

Run Python on Ubuntu

☛ You now first need to create environments to run Python. Go ahead and execute the following commands.

$ mkdir environments
$ cd environments
$ python3 -m venv test_env

☛ Before you can use the <test_env>, you have to activate it first. The following command will do the activation for you.

$ source test_env/bin/activate

Your prompt will now be a little different than the standard one.

(test_env) techbeamers@techbeamers:~/environments$

This prefix indicates that the environment test_env is currently active. You can create programs to use the environment’s settings and packages.

☛ We have our virtual env set up, let’s write a simple “Hello, World!” script. To do this, open up a command-line text editor such as vi and create a new file.

(test_env) techbeamers@techbeamers:~/environments$ vi world.py

The vi editor will open the text file in the terminal. Write the code given below. Press “:wq” to save and exit from the editor.

print("Hello, World!")

☛ Once you exit out of vi and return to the shell, let’s run the script.

(test_env) techbeamers@techbeamers:~/environments$ python3 hello.py

# Output

Hello, World!

To log out of the environment, type the command “deactivate,” and it’ll return to your original directory.

Install Python on Windows

☛ For installing Python on Windows, go to the Download Python for Windows page, select the desired package, and click to download. We recommend Python 2.7 as it is one of the most stable packages. Next, launch the downloaded package, follow the steps, and finish the installation.

☛ During installation, select the option “Install for all users” and use the destination directory (C:\Python27) as default.

☛ Next, open the “Start” menu and type “cmd” into the search box. Right-click on the “cmd.exe” link and choose to run as an administrator.

☛ Change the directory to “C:\Python27” and run the following command to set Python on the system’s path.

setx PATH "%cd%;%path%;"
pause

The above command (setx) will set the Python path for all future instances of the cmd.exe, but not for the current one. So, you’ll need to reopen the command window to use Python.

Run Python on Windows

☛ Now, you are ready to write your first Python program on Windows. As we stated above, you must use a professional IDE for better development. However, here, we’ll tell you to use IDLE which comes as the default editor for Python.

☛ From the “Start” menu, open “All Programs” and select “Python 2.7”. Click on the “IDLE (Python GUI)” link to launch the editor.

☛ Once the IDLE window appears, press CTRL+N to create a new file. Then, name it “world.py” while saving using the CTRL+S.

☛ Place the following code in “world.py.”

print("Hello, World!")

Save the file and go to [Run >> Run Module] or press F5 to execute your first Python script.

Click here to directly go to the Python tutorial section.

Create Your First Program in Python

Usually, it is the “Hello, World!” program which every language recommends as a starting point to learn Programming. It is a simple program that prints the “Hello, World!” message on the standard output.

It obviously would be very trivial if we wrote it in Python, just one statement as the print(“Hello, World!”). Hence, we’ll use the Interest Calculator program for illustration.

Program Description

This program computes the interest accrued over the specified no. of years on the principal amount with one year as a fixed value for the compound interval.

Program Source Code

print('Interest Calculator:')
amount = float(input('Principal amount ?'))
roi = float(input('Rate of Interest ?'))
years = int(input('Duration (no. of years) ?'))
total = (amount * pow(1 + (roi/100), years))
interest = total - amount
print('\nInterest = %0.2f' %interest)

Let’s Dissect the Program Step by Step

Step-1:

In the first line, we are calling the print() function to display an informational message. It’s the same as printing like the “Hello, World!”.

Step-2:

In the next three lines, we are using the following variables to store the input provided by the user.

The variable ‘amount’ represents the principal amount borrowed.

Another one is the ‘roi,’ which represents the rate of interest levied on the principal amount.

The next identifier is ‘years,’ which is the no. of years representing the borrowing period.

Also, you must note here that we are using Python’s input() function to prompt the user to enter the values. Furthermore, you can observe that we’ve used Python’s conversion operators (int() and float()) in this code.

int(value) -> It converts any value to a plain integer.

float(value) -> It converts a value to a float-type number.

So far, we’ve covered the first four lines. Let’s continue exploring the remainder of the program.

Step-3:

In the fifth line of code, we are using a variable called “total” to store the result of a complicated assignment.

The total -> It represents the total amount to be paid after the borrowing period.

But this line is a little different from the previous ones. It is because the first line was an output statement, and the next three were simple assignment operations. Here, in the fifth line of code, we are computing the total amount, including the Interest part, with the help of the following formula.

Further to add, this assignment involves the use of the following Python’s arithmetic operators and functions.

+ Addition -> It adds numbers on either side of the operator.

* Multiplication -> It multiplies numbers on either side of the operator.

/ Division -> It divides the left-hand operand by the right-hand operand.

pow(X, Y, Z) -> It determines [X to the power Y]. If Z is available, then it’ll return X to the power Y, modulo Z.

Step-4:

In the sixth line, we are using Python’s subtraction operator (-) to calculate the interest amount.

Step-5:

Finally, there is a print statement displaying the interest amount. Since it is a float value, the print() function will show the full number by default. Hence, we are using the floating-point format specifier “%0.2f” in the print() function so that we can limit the printing up to two decimal points.

We’ve designed a step-by-step Python learning plan for you. It allows you to start with the basics and then move on to advanced concepts. Check out the tutorials in the list below.

Enjoy Learning,
TechBeamers