Python IDEs and Code Editors: The Complete Guide

Finding the Perfect Python Code Editor

Martin Breuss

Martin Breuss 36 Lessons 2h 28m
basics tools

Find your perfect Python development setup with this review of Python IDEs and code editors. Writing Python using IDLE or the Python REPL is great for simple things, but not ideal for larger programming projects. With this course you’ll get an overview of the most common Python coding environments to help you make an informed decision.

By the end of this course, you’ll know how to:

  • Choose the Python editing environment that’s right for you
  • Perform common tasks like creating, running, and debugging code
  • Dig deeper into optimizing your favorite editing setup
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Introduction & Learning Goals

4 Lessons 10m

1. Introduction & Course Overview (01:29)

2. IDEs vs Code Editors (02:28)

3. What Makes a Good Python Editor? (03:21)

4. Different Types of Editors (03:35)

Classic Text Editor (Vim)

6 Lessons 21m

1. Overview & Use Cases (05:02)

2. Creating and Running a Code Snippet (04:26)

3. Debugging (01:48)

4. Easy Improvements: Syntax Highlighting & Line Numbers (03:26)

5. Useful Vim Commands (04:02)

6. How to Learn More Vim (02:42)

Beginner-Friendly Editor (Thonny)

5 Lessons 19m

1. Overview & Use Cases (03:55)

2. Creating and Running a Code Snippet (04:40)

3. Debugging (05:03)

4. Other Useful Features (04:35)

5. How to Learn More Thonny (01:14)

Online Coding Environment (repl.it)

5 Lessons 19m

1. Overview & Use Cases (03:52)

2. Creating and Running a Code Snippet (03:29)

3. Debugging (03:15)

4. Other Useful Features (07:16)

5. How to Learn More repl.it (01:41)

Lightweight IDE (Visual Studio Code)

5 Lessons 18m

1. Overview & Use Cases (03:31)

2. Creating and Running a Code Snippet (04:04)

3. Debugging (06:23)

4. Other Useful Features (03:44)

5. How to Learn More VS Code (01:03)

IDE (PyCharm)

5 Lessons 34m

1. Overview & Use Cases (08:29)

2. Creating and Running a Code Snippet (06:03)

3. Debugging (05:56)

4. Other Useful Features (11:08)

5. How to Learn More PyCharm (02:26)

Data Science Notebooks (Jupyter)

5 Lessons 22m

1. Overview & Use Cases (03:39)

2. Creating and Running a Code Snippet (03:38)

3. Debugging (07:53)

4. Other Useful Features (04:59)

5. How to Learn More Jupyter (02:01)

Course Recap & Goodbye

1 Lesson 1m

1. Picking the Right Tool for the Task (01:52)

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About Martin Breuss

Martin Breuss Martin Breuss

Martin loves programming, goofy jokes, snakes and humans! All of this makes him feel connected to the Python community all the way down to the bottom turtle. He likes to learn and explore and talk about it—and he creates tutorials for Real Python.

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Each tutorial at Real Python is created by a team of developers so that it meets our high quality standards. The team members who worked on this tutorial are:

Dan Bader

Dan
Tappan Moore

Tappan
Jon Fincher

Jon
Joanna Jablonski

Joanna
Adriana Cutenco

Adriana

Participant Comments

qmark42 on Feb. 21, 2020

Thank You, Martin and Real Python for this course. I’ve learned quite a bit about development setups, and although some of the material was over my head at present, the course did give me a good idea of what I can use in my present studies/work. For now I will probably use VIM or a similar editor and Jupyter Notebook. Maybe in a year or two, I will expand my setup to include an IDE. Right now, I am most interested in Pycharm. Again, thank you for the course.

Walt94 on Feb. 22, 2020

Favorite line was: “You’ll always have VIM”. True dat.

Biggest surprise was seeing how good Repl.It was. I did not know they had come that far with online editors.

Thanks for the course. I really enjoyed it.

David Wright on April 20, 2020

Thank you Martin. Excellent course. I have decided on Thonny, since it seems to offer all the things I need at this point in my coding career. It is easy to use and offers many good features.

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