# realpython/python-guide

Python best practices guidebook, written for humans.

Repository: https://github.com/realpython/python-guide
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/python-guide
Homepage: https://docs.python-guide.org
Language: Batchfile
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: python, guide, book
Last push: 2026-07-27T05:52:34+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 75/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 94, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5650, "days_push": 37, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license, no_readme
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 29781, forks 5886 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:53.669165+00:00)

## What it is
The Hitchhiker's Guide to Python is an opinionated best-practices guidebook for Python developers, covering installation, configuration, and daily usage of Python. It is a living documentation project available online and as an O'Reilly book.

## Use cases
- learn python best practices
- how to install python 3 on mac
- set up a python development environment
- manage virtual environments with pipenv
- choose a python interpreter
- configure pip and setuptools correctly

## When to choose
- you are a novice or expert Python developer wanting opinionated setup and workflow guidance
- you need platform-specific Python installation instructions for macOS, Windows, or Linux
- you want curated recommendations for Python tooling rather than exhaustive listings

## When to avoid
- you need exhaustive reference documentation of every Python framework or library
- you are looking for a runnable software tool rather than a guide
- you need guidance on legacy Python 2 as a primary target

## Facets
- artifact type: learning-resource
- maturity: stable
- function: documentation
- domain: tutorials, developer-tools
- platform: cross-platform
- tags: python-guide, best-practices, book, opinionated-guide, python

## Member repositories
- realpython/python-guide (main) score 75

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:53.669165+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T16:52:53.195796+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - homepage: https://docs.python-guide.org (fetched 2026-08-29T07:50:07.942674+00:00, sha 43212a75b922)
  - site_page: https://docs.python-guide.org/starting/installation (fetched 2026-08-29T07:50:07.946401+00:00, sha 52372343b84d)
  - site_page: https://docs.python-guide.org/starting/install3/osx (fetched 2026-08-29T07:50:07.948575+00:00, sha 2355d285b304)
  - site_page: https://docs.python-guide.org/starting/install3/win (fetched 2026-08-29T07:50:07.950537+00:00, sha 963d550e42f6)
  - site_page: https://docs.python-guide.org/starting/install3/linux (fetched 2026-08-29T07:50:07.952432+00:00, sha b2a9bab1122a)
  - site_page: https://docs.python-guide.org/starting/install/osx (fetched 2026-08-29T07:50:07.954236+00:00, sha 355b610847f2)
  - site_page: https://docs.python-guide.org/starting/install/win (fetched 2026-08-29T07:50:07.956106+00:00, sha 26d71292b44d)
  - site_page: https://docs.python-guide.org/starting/install/linux (fetched 2026-08-29T07:50:07.957953+00:00, sha 412f7081650f)
  - site_page: https://docs.python-guide.org/dev/virtualenvs (fetched 2026-08-29T07:50:07.960597+00:00, sha 57885e6fda20)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.