How to Install Latest Python on Arch Linux

The legend of Python as a growing favorite among the numerous programming languages that exist in the Linux ecosystem continues to inspire the onset of numerous projects that are both commercial and individual.

While on a Linux operating system environment, you can never run out of project ideas that draw inspiration from the Python programming language footprints. For instance, learning Python as a beginner can inspire you to achieve basic and exciting projects like:

• Building an alarm clock application.
• Creating simple and user-interactive quiz games.
• Developing a basic Python calculator app.
• Programming a text-based adventure application.
• Developing a guessing game.

That said, the power behind the use of Python programming language to bring projects to life primarily depends on a user’s imagination due to its limitless potential.

This article will walk us through the installation of Python on the Arch Linux distribution.

Installing Python on Arch Linux Using Pacman

The pacman package manager will help facilitate the installation of Python on Arch Linux distribution.

$ sudo pacman -Sy python-pip

As per the above screen capture, three packages will be scheduled for installation, namely python, python-pip, and libnsl.

Once installed, confirm the installed Python version:

$ python -V

Python 3.10.7

Installing Python on Arch Linux from Source

First, update the Arch Linux system and then install system dependencies.

$ sudo pacman -Syu
$ sudo pacman -Sy base-devel wget

Next, download the latest Python source release using the following wget command and install it as shown.

$ wget https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.10.7/Python-3.10.7.tar.xz
$ tar -xf Python-3.10.7.tar.xz
$ cd Python-3.10.7
$ ./configure
$ make 
$ sudo make install
$ python3 -V

Installing Python Modules in Arch Linux Using PIP

With both Python and Python-PIP installed, you should be able to easily install Python modules via PIP (Python Package Manager) as demonstrated below:

$ python3 -m pip install module_name

You can now explore the possibilities of using Python for your Arch Linux projects.