Installing Python 3 on RHEL

It is easy to install python manually (i.e. build from source):

  1. Download (there may be newer releases on Python.org):

     $ wget https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.4.3/Python-3.4.3.tar.xz

  2. Unzip

     $ tar xf Python-3.* 
 $ cd Python-3.*

  3. Prepare compilation

     $ ./configure

  4. Build

     $ make

  5. Install

     $ make install

    OR if you don't want to overwrite the python executable (safer, at least on some distros yum needs python to be 2.x, such as for RHEL6) - you can install python3.* as a concurrent instance to the system default with an altinstall:

     $ make altinstall

Now if you want an alternative installation directory, you can pass --prefix to the configurecommand.

Example: for 'installing' Python in /opt/local, just add --prefix=/opt/local.

After the make install step: In order to use your new Python installation, it could be, that you still have to add the [prefix]/bin to the $PATH and [prefix]/lib to the $LD_LIBRARY_PATH (depending of the --prefix you passed)


Installing from RPM is generally better, because:

  • you can install and uninstall (properly) python3.
  • the installation time is way faster. If you work in a cloud environment with multiple VMs, compiling python3 on each VMs is not acceptable.

Solution 1: Red Hat & EPEL repositories

Red Hat has added through the EPEL repository:

  • Python 3.4 for CentOS 6
  • Python 3.6 for CentOS 7

[EPEL] How to install Python 3.4 on CentOS 6

sudo yum install -y epel-release
sudo yum install -y python34

# Install pip3
sudo yum install -y python34-setuptools  # install easy_install-3.4
sudo easy_install-3.4 pip

You can create your virtualenv using pyvenv:

pyvenv /tmp/foo

[EPEL] How to install Python 3.6 on CentOS 7

With CentOS7, pip3.6 is provided as a package :)

sudo yum install -y epel-release
sudo yum install -y python36 python36-pip

You can create your virtualenv using pyvenv:

python3.6 -m venv /tmp/foo

If you use the pyvenv script, you'll get a WARNING:

$ pyvenv-3.6 /tmp/foo
WARNING: the pyenv script is deprecated in favour of `python3.6 -m venv`

Solution 2: IUS Community repositories

The IUS Community provides some up-to-date packages for RHEL & CentOS. The guys behind are from Rackspace, so I think that they are quite trustworthy...

https://ius.io/

Check the right repo for you here:

https://ius.io/setup

[IUS] How to install Python 3.6 on CentOS 6

sudo yum install -y https://repo.ius.io/ius-release-el6.rpm
sudo yum install -y python36u python36u-pip

You can create your virtualenv using pyvenv:

python3.6 -m venv /tmp/foo

[IUS] How to install Python 3.6 on CentOS 7

sudo yum install -y https://repo.ius.io/ius-release-el7.rpm
sudo yum install -y python36u python36u-pip

You can create your virtualenv using pyvenv:

python3.6 -m venv /tmp/foo

Tags:

Python

Python 3.X

Rhel

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