How do I install Python in Google Cloud Shell?

Question

I have python 3.5 on my google cloud shell and want 3.7 so I can do command line debugging of code I am going to deploy via google cloud functions (and use 3.7 features such as f-strings).

I have tried various forms of the following:

sudo apt-get install python37

and always get back

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package python37

Parade

Did you try python3.7? – Bristol

Yes - python3.7 and python3.7.3 - all with same results – Parade

Answer 1

# install pyenv to install python on persistent home directory
curl https://pyenv.run | bash

# add to path
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.pyenv/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'eval "$(pyenv init -)"' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'eval "$(pyenv virtualenv-init -)"' >> ~/.bashrc

# updating bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

# install python 3.7.4 and make default
pyenv install 3.7.4
pyenv global 3.7.4

# execute
python

This is based on @yungchin answer.

Alicia

I had to run a new instance of the shell before running pyenv – Anthology

@Ali Khosro will this technique work on Colab which actually is 3.6.9 ? – Hedvig

This should work on any linux environment when you can not (or do not want to) use package manager to install newer version of python. – Alicia

it's not working, after 'pyenv global' the global Python is the old one – Ichthyology

Answer 2

This worked for me on the GCP shell.

# Install requirements
sudo apt-get install -y build-essential checkinstall libreadline-gplv2-dev libncursesw5-dev libssl-dev libsqlite3-dev tk-dev libgdbm-dev libc6-dev libbz2-dev zlib1g-dev openssl libffi-dev python3-dev python3-setuptools wget 

# Prepare to build
mkdir /tmp/Python37
cd /tmp/Python37

# Pull down Python 3.7, build, and install
wget https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.7.0/Python-3.7.0.tar.xz
tar xvf Python-3.7.0.tar.xz
cd /tmp/Python37/Python-3.7.0
./configure
sudo make altinstall

Then you would just call Python like so:

python3.7 ./yourScript.py

Src: https://serverfault.com/questions/918335/best-way-to-run-python-3-7-on-ubuntu-16-04-which-comes-with-python-3-5

Ideate

That worked, thanks. Do you know how I can make a virtualenv with it now? – Rist

Answer 3

Even if the packages were available through apt, the downside of using apt would be that you'd have to install all over again whenever you'd been disconnected from Cloud Shell: it always discards your runtime container.

I'd recommend using https://github.com/pyenv/pyenv for convenience. If you follow the installation guide (and note the bash profile additions should go into .bashrc in our case) you end up with a python build in your home directory, which is persisted across Cloud Shell sessions. This involves just a few steps:

1. clone the repo into ~/.pyenv
2. append three lines (see the README) to .bashrc to adjust your $PATH
3. pyenv install 3.7.3 # this takes a while to build
4. pyenv global 3.7.3 # sets this version as the default

Doukhobor

Answer 4

Python 3 can be installed in Cloud Shell as a side-effect of installing Conda/Anaconda. Copy the link to the desired installer shell script available here: Installing on Linux.

Example

Welcome to Cloud Shell! Type "help" to get started.
$ wget https://repo.anaconda.com/miniconda/Miniconda3-py39_4.10.3-Linux-x86_64.sh
$ bash Miniconda3-py39_4.10.3-Linux-x86_64.sh

After following the instructions, close Cloud Shell and open a new session. Python is now updated.

With Conda installed, you can now create environments for additional Python versions as follows:

$ conda create -n "py37" python=3.7.0
$ conda activate py37
$ python --version
Python 3.7.0

Guinea

The problem with this solution is that as you can see in your output this installed py3.9.4, not 3.7 as requested. – Honaker

Fair enough. But the point of using conda is to be able to use different versions at will. – Honaker

@Honaker See updated answer showing how to set up environments for different versions of Python after Conda is installed. – Guinea

Answer 5

Another simple approach is

sudo `which conda` install python=3.7 -y

Honaker