Python is a powerful and easy-to-learn programming language that is widely used in data science, machine learning, web development, and more. As Python is more and more widely used in various fields, more and more Python development tools have emerged. However, for beginners, choosing a suitable Python development tool can be a confusing thing. Therefore, in this article, I will introduce some commonly used Python development tools, and compare their characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, so as to help readers choose the Python development tools that suit them. So today I selected a few mainstream editors to introduce, all of which are IDEs with rich functions. As for the ordinary text editor used by the master, it is no longer considered in the scope of this time. I mainly introduce PyCharm, Visual Studio Code, Jupyter Notebook, Spyder , IDLE these several, according to their own preferences on-demand download.

Introduction

PyCharm is a Python IDE (Integrated Development Environment, integrated development environment ), with a set of tools that can help users improve their efficiency when developing in Python language, such as debugging, syntax highlighting , project management , code jump, smart prompts , autocompletion , unit testing , version control . In addition, the IDE provides advanced features for supporting professional web development under the Django framework.

PyCharm is a professional Python integrated development environment (IDE), developed by JetBrains. It has rich features such as code completion, debugger, integrated testing, Git and other version control systems, etc. It also supports multiple versions and frameworks of Python, such as Django, Flask, and Pyramid, etc., enabling developers to easily develop, test, and deploy Python applications on one platform. Let's take a look at some of the features of PyCharm:

Code auto-completion: PyCharm has an intelligent code auto-completion function that can provide developers with code hints and suggestions, reducing code input time and errors.
Debugger: PyCharm has a built-in powerful debugger that can help developers quickly diagnose and solve problems and improve code quality and reliability.
Integration testing: PyCharm has built-in testing tools that help developers write and run unit tests, integration tests, and functional tests to ensure code correctness and reliability.
Version control: PyCharm supports multiple version control systems, such as Git, Mercurial, and Subversion, which can help developers better manage code and be able to collaborate with other developers on development.
Multi-language support: In addition to Python, PyCharm also supports a variety of other programming languages, such as JavaScript, HTML, CSS, etc., which can help developers perform full-stack development on the same platform.
Smart tips: PyCharm can provide developers with smart tips and error checking to help developers write high-quality code, and can reduce code errors and debugging time.
Framework support: PyCharm supports a variety of Python frameworks, such as Django, Flask, Pyramid, etc., which can help developers better develop and maintain web applications.

PyCharm can be said to be a powerful Python integrated development environment, so let's analyze its advantages and disadvantages.

Higher price: PyCharm is a commercial software, and its price is higher compared to some other free or open source Python IDEs.
Large resource usage: PyCharm is a powerful IDE, so it needs more resources to run normally, and problems such as lag may occur for computers with low configuration.
Steep learning curve: Since PyCharm has rich functions, the learning curve may be relatively steep, and it takes a certain amount of time to adapt and master its usage.

Overall, PyCharm is a powerful Python IDE with many advantages, but also some disadvantages. For developers who need to efficiently develop Python applications, PyCharm is a very good choice, and PyCharm is a powerful and easy-to-use Python IDE for projects of all sizes. It provides many useful functions to help you write and debug Python code faster.

where to download

https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/download/

This is the download address of PyCharm's official website, and friends in need can download it.

The latest PyCharm free installation package address: note.youdao.com/s/PxQUPehi

installation steps

1. We double-click the installation package:

2. After clicking Next, we proceed to the page of selecting the installation path (try not to choose a directory with Chinese and spaces). After selecting the path, click Next to proceed to the next step

3. Go to the Installation Options (installation options) page and check all the options. Click Next

4. Enter the Choose Start Menu Folder page and click Install directly to install

5. After the installation is complete, the following interface will appear, and we click Finish to complete.

Comparison of related tools

Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code (VS Code for short) is a free cross-platform text editor developed and maintained by Microsoft. Although it's called a text editor, it's actually a powerful integrated development environment (IDE) that supports multiple programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, C++, and more.

Here are some key features of VS Code:

Lightweight: VS Code is a lightweight text editor with fast startup speed and low resource consumption, suitable for use in various environments.
Cross-platform: VS Code supports multiple operating systems, including Windows, MacOS and Linux, and can be used on various platforms.
Powerful code editing functions: VS Code provides code auto-completion, code refactoring, code highlighting, smart indentation and other functions to help developers write code faster.
Debugger: The built-in debugger of VS Code can help developers easily debug code and find errors.
Version control: VS Code supports Git, SVN and other version control systems, which can easily manage code and collaborate with other developers.
Rich plug-ins: VS Code supports a large number of plug-ins, which can help developers expand its functions and improve development efficiency.

Although Visual Studio Code is a very popular cross-platform text editor and integrated development environment, it has some disadvantages. For example, the following points are its main advantages and disadvantages:

High resource usage: Although VS Code is relatively lightweight compared to other IDEs, it still requires certain system resources to run properly, so performance problems may occur on computers with lower configurations.
Steep learning curve: VS Code provides many functions, which may make the learning curve steeper, and it takes a certain amount of time to adapt and master its usage.
The quality of plugins varies: Although VS Code has a large number of plugins, the quality of some plugins may not be stable, which may cause problems or security risks.

In general, Visual Studio Code is a powerful and highly extensible text editor and integrated development environment, which can help developers write and debug code more efficiently. However, it still has some disadvantages and needs to be selected according to the specific situation. As a powerful and flexible text editor, VS Code is suitable for projects of all sizes. It provides many useful features that help developers write and debug code faster.

Jupyter Notebook

Jupyter Notebook is a web-based interactive computing environment that supports multiple programming languages, most commonly Python. Its name is composed of the abbreviations of three programming languages: Ju (Julia), Py (Python) and R (R language). The biggest feature of Jupyter Notebook is that it can combine code, text, images, formulas and other content to form an interactive document with the suffix .ipynb. This kind of document can be opened in the local environment or shared in the cloud, which is convenient for team collaboration and teaching.

Here are some key features of Jupyter Notebook:

Visual interaction: Jupyter Notebook supports real-time preview of code running results, images, formulas, etc., allowing users to conduct interactive exploratory data analysis.
Support multiple programming languages: Jupyter Notebook supports multiple programming languages, such as Python, R, Julia, etc., allowing users to use multiple languages in the same environment.
Extensibility: Jupyter Notebook supports many third-party extensions, which can extend its functions and features, such as adding new cell types in Notebook, etc.
Sharing: Jupyter Notebook supports sharing in the local environment or on the cloud, which is convenient for team collaboration and teaching.
Open source and free: Jupyter Notebook is a completely open source project, users can use, modify and share it freely.

Although Jupyter Notebook is a powerful and flexible tool, it also has some disadvantages. for example:

Poor readability: Because Jupyter Notebooks mix content such as code, text, and images, some notebooks can be difficult to read and understand, especially when the notebook is large.
Difficult to maintain: Since the Jupyter Notebook is essentially a document, it is difficult to perform version control, which may make it difficult to maintain and update the Notebook.
Difficult to trace: When the Notebook contains a large amount of code, it is difficult to trace the execution flow of the code and debug errors.
Poor portability: Due to the poor portability of notebooks, different dependencies may need to be installed in different environments, making sharing and portability of notebooks difficult.
Security issues: Since Jupyter Notebook allows arbitrary code to be run in the Notebook, there may be security holes and potential risks.

In general, Jupyter Notebook is a very powerful interactive computing environment that can help users perform data analysis, machine learning, scientific computing and other work. It offers many useful functions and features and is easy to use and share, but it also has some drawbacks. These shortcomings may affect the readability, maintainability, traceability, portability and security of Notebook. Therefore, when using Jupyter Notebook, you need to pay attention to these issues and make a choice according to the specific situation.

Spyder

Spyder is a Python integrated development environment (IDE) for scientific computing and data analysis. It is written in Python and implements a cross-platform graphical user interface (GUI) based on the Qt library. The design goal of Spyder is to provide a professional, powerful, and easy-to-use Python development environment, especially for data analysis and scientific computing fields.

Here are some key features of Spyder:

Built-in IPython console: Spyder has a built-in IPython console, which can provide an interactive development experience and supports functions such as code completion, code highlighting, debugging, and variable viewing.
Multi-window design: Spyder adopts a multi-window design, which can open multiple editors, consoles, variable viewers and other windows at the same time, which is convenient for users to carry out multi-task development and debugging.
Integrate commonly used Python libraries: Spyder has built-in many commonly used Python libraries, such as NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, etc., allowing users to easily perform data analysis and scientific calculations.
Built-in debugger: Spyder has a built-in Python debugger, which can help users quickly locate and fix errors in the code.
Extensibility: Spyder supports plug-in extensions, and users can extend its functions and features by installing third-party plug-ins.

Although Spyder is a very good Python integrated development environment, there are also some shortcomings. for example:

Occupies more resources: Compared with other lightweight Python editors, Spyder occupies more system resources, including CPU and memory, which may cause the system to run slowly.
Complicated interface: The interface of Spyder is relatively complicated, which may not be friendly enough for some beginners.
Does not support Jupyter Notebook: Unlike Jupyter Notebook, Spyder cannot directly edit and run Notebook files in the interface, and needs to be supported by additional plug-ins or third-party tools.
Limited debugging capabilities: Although Spyder has a built-in Python debugger, its debugging capabilities may be relatively limited compared to some other IDEs.

In general, although Spyder is a powerful Python development environment, the easy-to-use Python development environment is especially suitable for data analysis and scientific computing. It has built-in many useful functions and commonly used Python libraries, enabling users to develop and debug quickly and efficiently. But there are also some disadvantages. For some users, it may not be suitable, and an appropriate development environment needs to be selected according to specific needs and situations.

IDLE

IDLE is a lightweight integrated development environment (IDE) officially provided by Python, which can run on operating systems such as Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. Its name IDLE is the abbreviation of "Integrated Development and Learning Environment", which means "Integrated Development and Learning Environment".

Here are some key features of IDLE:

Built-in Python interpreter: IDLE has a built-in Python interpreter, which can directly input and execute Python code in the interface, which is convenient for users to carry out interactive development and debugging.
Ease of use: The interface of IDLE is simple and clear, which is relatively easy for beginners to use.
Automatic indentation: IDLE's automatic indentation function is very useful, which can help users avoid problems such as indentation errors and grammatical errors.
Built-in debugger: IDLE has a built-in Python debugger, which can help users quickly locate and fix errors in the code.
Suitable for teaching and learning: IDLE's functions are simple and easy to use, which is very suitable for teaching and learning Python.

Although IDLE is a lightweight, easy-to-use Python integrated development environment, there are some shortcomings. for example:

Limited functions: The functions of IDLE are relatively simple, and lack some advanced functions, such as code auto-completion, version control, etc.
Slow: IDLE is relatively slow to respond, especially when dealing with large code files, which can cause slowness.
Relatively simple interface: While IDLE's interface is simple and easy to use, in the eyes of some users, its interface is too simple and may not meet the needs of advanced users.
Not suitable for large-scale projects: Due to the limitations of IDLE's performance and functions, it is not suitable for developing large-scale and complex projects, and requires a more powerful Python development environment.

In general, IDLE is a lightweight, easy-to-use Python development environment, especially suitable for beginners to learn Python and interactive development. It has a built-in Python interpreter and debugger, which can help users quickly develop and debug code. Although IDLE is a Python integrated development environment suitable for beginners, its functional and performance limitations may not be suitable for some advanced project development. Therefore, when choosing a Python development environment, you need to choose according to your specific needs and situations.

Summarize

The five editors, PyCharm, Visual Studio Code, Jupyter Notebook, Spyder, and IDLE, can basically meet any needs. They can be said to be very powerful, and each has its own advantages. You can choose according to your own personal preferences and needs, and you can also consider the following factors

1. Applicable scenarios

Different development tools are suitable for different scenarios. PyCharm is suitable for the development of large-scale projects, Visual Studio Code is suitable for web development, Jupyter Notebook is suitable for data science and machine learning, Spyder is suitable for scientific computing and data analysis, and IDLE is suitable for beginners to learn Python and interactive development.

2. Function and performance

The functionality and performance of the development tools are also important considerations in selection. PyCharm has powerful code editing and debugging functions, but it takes up relatively large system resources; Visual Studio Code has rich extensions and plug-ins, but many plug-ins may need to be installed to meet development needs; Jupyter Notebook can facilitate data visualization and exploratory Data analysis, but it may cause performance problems when dealing with large amounts of data; Spyder is suitable for scientific computing and data analysis, but compared to other IDEs, its functions are relatively less; IDLE is relatively simple and easy to use, but when dealing with large Code files may cause slow operation.

3. Development team and community support

When choosing a development tool, you need to consider its development team and community support. PyCharm is developed by JetBrains and is supported by a strong development team and community, with strong technical support and rich community resources; Visual Studio Code is developed by Microsoft and has also received technical support from Microsoft and huge community resources; Jupyter Notebook and Spyder is maintained and supported by the open source community, and has also received extensive user support; IDLE is an official development tool provided by Python, and has also received official technical support and maintenance by the development team.

4. Cost

Some of these tools are free and some are paid. There are two versions of PyCharm: Community Edition and Professional Edition. The Community version is free and can meet general Python development needs, while the Professional version needs to be purchased to provide more advanced features and support. Prices for paid editions vary by edition and license type. Visual Studio Code, Jupyter Notebook, Spyder, IDLE are all free open source editors.

4. Personal preferences and usage habits

The final choice also takes into account personal preference and usage habits. Some people like to use powerful IDEs, while others prefer lightweight editors; some people like to use command line tools, while others prefer to use graphical interfaces; some people like to use open source software, while some People are more willing to choose commercial software.

To sum up, the choice of development tools needs to be decided according to specific needs and situations. You can choose the development that suits you best based on comprehensive consideration of applicable scenarios, functions and performance, cost, development team and community support, as well as personal preferences and usage habits.

Python common development tool collection comparison