A code editor basically used to write and edit code it is usually lightweight and considered good for learning and small projects. Once you start writing code for larger applications you need to use an Integrated Development Environment (IDE).
An IDE has so many good features including features like build automation, code linting, testing, debugging, etc. Which helps in building an application faster.
In this article, we will see the best 7 and most popular Python IDEs and code, editors for Linux, Windows, or Mac.
1. PyCharm
The PyCharm is a fully-featured cross-platform IDE for python which is developed by JetBrains. You can use plugins to extend the features of PyCharm. It has a built-in graphical debugger, integrated unit tester, and embedded version control system.
PyCharm is released in two versions community and professional. The community edition is available for free to download and use whereas you need to buy it if you want to use the professional edition. You can view how to use install PyCharm CE on Linux if you are using Linux operating system.
Download link: https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/download/
2. IDLE
The IDLE or Integrated Development and Learning Environment is the code editor that comes default with python. It has features like an interactive interpreter, code auto-completion, syntax highlighting, basic debugger, etc.
This is a lightweight IDE that is good for learning or small projects.
3. VSCode
VSCode or visual studio code is open-source and one of the best IDEs for Python development which is developed by Microsoft. It provides extensions by installing those you can set up a development environment for a specific programming language.
It is a lightweight IDE that has powerful features like smart code completion, code linting for potential errors, debugger, etc.
You can install it on Windows, Linux, or Mac OS by downloading it from the given link.
Downloading link:https://code.visualstudio.com/download
4. Spyder
Spyder is an open-source cross-platform IDE for scientific programming in Python. It can integrate with packages such as NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, Pandas, Cython, IPython, SymPy, and other open-source software.
It comes with features such as automatic code completion, horizontal/vertical splitting, code linting, debugging, etc. You can freely download this IDE from the given link.
Downloading link:https://docs.spyder-ide.org/current/installation.html
5. Vim
Vim is a text editor that comes preinstalled with systems like Linux, Unix, or Mac. For Windows, you need to download and install it separately. We can use this editor for writing and editing Python code.
By using the plugin you can enable the features such as syntax highlighting, code completion, debugging, code refactoring, etc. The downloading link for the windows installer is given below.
Downloading link: https://www.vim.org/download.php
6. Atom
Atom is an open-source code editor developed by GitHub. It is highly customizable you can download and install the package to enhance the features like auto-completion, code error checking, debugging, etc.
It is very much similar to the sublime text editor. You can download the Atom text editor from the given link.
Downloading link: https://atom.io/
7. Thonny
Thonny is a Python IDE that is designed for beginners. It can also be used for full-fledged Python development. Thonny supports different ways of stepping through the code.
Some of its features are syntax highlighting, step through expression evaluation, debugging, etc.
Download link: https://thonny.org/
Conclusion
The list above contains a few and mostly used IDE for Python development. There are so many other IDEs such as Sublime text3, Pydev, kite, etc.
We will recommend to choose one of the given Python IDE and start writing code with it. Now you can leave your comments on this topic in the comments box below.
I prefer to use Codelobster Python editor – http://www.codelobster.com/python.html