Quick Reference: The Python Project Lifecycle

Follow these steps every time you start a new coding session or a new project to ensure your Linux system stays clean and your code stays portable.

New Project Initialization

When starting a brand-new folder, run these once:

$ mkdir my_new_project && cd my_new_project

$ python3 -m venv venv

$ echo "venv/" >> .gitignore

Daily Development Workflow

Run these when you sit down to code:

$ source venv/bin/activate (Activate)

$ which python3 (Verify Path)

$ pip install [package_name] (Install Packages)

Sync Editor

Open VS Code and ensure the bottom-right status bar shows your `venv` interpreter.

Sharing & Portability

Before you push your code to GitHub:

Freeze Dependencies

$ pip freeze > requirements.txt

Commit

Ensure `requirements.txt` is committed, but `venv/` is ignored.

Moving to a New Machine

If you just cloned a project and need to get it running:

Create the local sandbox

$ python3 -m venv venv

Activate it

$ source venv/bin/activate

Install the recorded dependencies

$ pip install -r requirements.txt

The "Emergency" Command

If your environment ever gets weird or you get conflicting version errors, don't panic. Just delete the folder and start over:

$ rm -rf venv && python3 -m venv venv

It’s the "Turn it off and back on again" of Python development.