0. Summary Link to heading

In this post I try to answer two questions: 1) What is a virtual environment?; 2) Why setup a virtual environment.

1. What is a Virtual Environment? Link to heading

A virtual environment is like a separate box on your computer where you can keep the tools and materials needed for a specific project. This way, the tools and materials from different projects don’t get mixed up with each other or with the general tools and materials on your computer. In the context of programming, these tools and materials are software, packages, and other dependencies.

In Python, a virtual environment is a self-contained directory tree that includes a Python installation and a number of additional packages. These environments, created by tools like venv or virtualenv or conda, allow you to keep the dependencies for different projects separate. This means that each project can have its own dependencies, regardless of what dependencies other projects have. This is particularly useful when different projects require different versions of the same package.

2. Why Setup a Virtual Environment? Link to heading

Creating a virtual environment is important for several reasons.

• Dependency Management: Different projects may require different versions of packages. By isolating project environments, you can install different package versions without conflicts.

• Simplicity: When the project is no longer needed, you can delete its virtual environment without affecting your system or other projects.

• Reproducibility: By using a virtual environment, you can make the project’s setup reproducible and more predictable across different machines. This is especially useful when working in a team setting.

It’s generally best practice to create a new virtual environment for each Python project.