Installing Anaconda and Git for Python projects

The best setup for data science projects

There are several ways to start working on a Python project. You can choose to install pure Python and use its IDLE interface to write and run your code. However, a better alternative is to use Anaconda and Git Bash.

Anaconda

What is Anaconda?

Anaconda is a distribution of Python and R for data science and scientific computing. The standard installation of Anaconda consists of

• 250+ popular packages
• A package manager
• An environment manager
• Jupyter Lab — a powerful IDE for coding

Why Anaconda?

Anaconda makes it much easier for you to work on your data science projects. Often, your project will use different packages, many of which already come with Anaconda’s standard installation. If the available packages still do not suit your need, there are 7,500+ open source packages for you to choose from, and the installation of additional packages is very simple. Anaconda’s package manager will take care of all the dependencies to make sure everything is compatible with each other. You can also create multiple environments with different configurations for different projects you want.

Download Anaconda

First, go to https://www.anaconda.com/products/distribution to download the latest version of Anaconda. If the link has changed, you can easily find the updated one using Google.

Scroll down to find the download section (which looks like the picture below) and choose the right version for your operating system. This tutorial demonstrates the installation for Windows, but the process is very similar for other operating systems.

Install Anaconda

After the download finishes, click on the installer, and follow the instructions (mostly accepting the default options and hitting the Next button).

However, be careful at the Advanced installation options stage, you should select both options although the first checkbox says not recommended (see picture below).

The installation might take some time depending on what computer you use, but normally it takes around 5–10 minutes.

Git

What is Git?

Git is a version control system used to track modifications to a source code repository. However, it’s not the reason we install it here. We install Git to get Git Bash, a great command-line app that makes launching Jupyter Lab much easier.

Note that only Windows users need to download and install Git. macOS and Linux have great native command-line apps already.

Download Git

You can download Git at: https://git-scm.com (and of course, use Google if the link has changed). In the download section, choose the latest version for Windows (see the picture below)

Install Git

Just follow the instruction and accept all default options. No special modification is needed.

After the installation finishes, type git on your computer's search windows, and you should see Git Bash available as in the picture below.

When you hit Enter, a black window appears, and it is the Git Bash terminal.

Now type in conda --version and hit Enter.

If you see the conda version printed out, it means that everything is set up correctly and you are good to go.

In the next tutorial, you will learn how to set up and workspace and start your very first Python project.

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