Get Python

We will use a programming language called Python to create our server. Keep in mind that we're jumping around and skipping important things right now. The idea is to launch something functioning as soon as possible, and then, having that sweet satisfaction as our motivator, look back and understand the things we've skipped over.

First, download and install Python. I know this might be confusing, because you probably don't know what does it mean to "download Python": download a language? Is it an app then? Or… what is it?

We'll talk about programming languages in the future books and courses, but for now you can think of it this way: we're downloading a program that is capable of reading code and creating applications from it.

Go to Python downloads page and download the version for your operating system (Windows or macOS). Make sure to download the latest version — 3.7.1 or higher. Launch the downloaded file to install Python.

Important note to Windows users: make sure to check "Add Python 3.7 to PATH" checkbox on the first screen of the installer!

Now go back to the terminal and type

• On macOS: python3 --version
• On Windows: python --version

and hit Enter. You should see Python 3.7.1 printed on the screen. Success! We have a functioning Python interpreter on our computer! It will interpret code we write and do things.