Super simple venv usage - Linux

Published: 2025-04-09

Just like conda, venv is a way to keep your environments separate from each other.

It comes with Python, so first we need that.

1. Install Python

In a terminal:

sudo apt install python3.11

2. Create a new environment

The environment will be stored in a file structure in the location you create it, so first change directory to where you want the environment to be, then set it up like so:

python -m venv comfy

The ‘comfy’ can be whatever you want as that’s the name of the environment.

3. Activate the environment

Make sure you’re in the directory with your environment then simply;

source comfy/bin/activate

You’ll now see the name of your environment in brackets, so you know it’s working:

(comfy) username@hostname:~$

Now any packages your install will be within this environment only.

4. Deactivating your environment

Simply type:

deactivate

5. Deleting environment completely

Like I said at the beginning, the venv is just stored in a dicrectory, so deleting that direction deletes the environment and all the packages as well.

rm -rf comfy

And that’s it! Quick environments you can build or teardown at will. Before I knew about these I manged the main environment on my computer. Now I can just mangle venvs until I get it right!