1 About Python

Python is a high-level general purpose programming language that relies on an interpreter to fulfill scripted functions. On Oracle Linux 8, many system utilities, tools for data analysis and web applications rely on the presence of a Python runtime environment to function.

Python 2 is no longer maintained by the Python community; Python 2 is also no longer supported on Oracle Linux 8. Any existing Python 2 scripts must be migrated to Python 3 or run inside a container. For more information about running scripts inside containers, see Oracle Linux: Podman User's Guide.

To learn about the 2to3 automated migration tool visit https://docs.python.org/3/library/2to3.html. See also the porting guide at https://portingguide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ for more in-depth information.

You can read more information about creating Python scripts at https://www.python.org/doc/.

Note:

The python command isn't aliased by default in Oracle Linux 8. Specify the Python interpreter version with the python3 command when you run Python scripts.

For more information, see Installing Python.