If you find yourself doing a lot of coding in Python, it can be helpful to get an integrated development environment (IDE) to help you write cleaner code with fewer bugs. However, with so many options available, it can be challenging to find the best one for your situation, especially if you are new to coding.
What Is an IDE?
An IDE is an application that usually contains a code editor, debugger, and build tools to compile and run code. It can dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes to finish your code, especially when dealing with large projects, and it’s more visually appealing with color-coded text, allowing for an enhanced working experience.
Which IDE is Right for Me?
When working with Python, you have several great options available, including a few paid options. Still, we recommend starting with something free and open source, especially since Python doesn’t require any special options like a compiler.
Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is one of the more popular IDEs’ s, and for good reason. It’s easy to use and looks great. It also has all of the features you will need to create error-free code in a hurry. It’s lightweight, has a built-in terminal to run your code, has autocomplete, and is highly customizable through themes, icon packs, and more. It also features support for many other programming languages.
Spyder
Scientists, engineers, and data analysts created Spyder using the Python language specifically for scientific projects using Python. It’s a powerful IDE with built-in libraries that include NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, Pandas, and SymPy, which are all extremely common in data analysis, so for many people, it’s ready to go out of the box. It has a customizable interface and an IPython console that features syntax highlighting. It also has project management tools, advanced debugging, and more.
Thonny
Thonny is a great choice for beginner Python programmers who want to focus on the code and not learn an IDE. It has an educational focus with the option to turn off advanced features that might be distracting to a new programmer while still providing highlighted text, step-by-step debugging, variable explorer, highlighted code execution, and much more are included in an easy-to-install package.
Once you have your IDE installed and running, you can begin writing code. If you’re not sure where to start, check out our article titled Beginner’s Guide: How to Install Python and Start Your First Projects