1.. _tutorials.virtualenv:
2
3Installing virtualenv
4=====================
5`virtualenv <http://pypi.python.org/pypi/virtualenv>`_, sets a
6"virtual environment" that allows you to run different projects with separate
7libraries side by side. This is a good idea both for development and
8production, as it'll assure that each project uses their own library versions
9and don't affect each other.
10
11.. note::
12   For App Engine development, virtualenv is not necessary. The SDK provides
13   a "sandboxed environment" that serves almost the same purposes.
14
15If you don't have a package installer in your system yet (like ``pip`` or
16``easy_install``), install one. See :ref:`tutorials.installing.packages`.
17
18Then follow these steps to install virtualenv:
19
20**1.** To install it on a Linux or Mac systems, type in the command line:
21
22.. code-block:: text
23
24   $ sudo pip install virtualenv
25
26Or, using easy_install:
27
28.. code-block:: text
29
30   $ sudo easy_install virtualenv
31
32**2.** Then create a directory for your app, access it and setup a virtual
33environment using the following command:
34
35.. code-block:: text
36
37   $ virtualenv env
38
39**3.** Activate the environment. On Linux of Mac, use:
40
41.. code-block:: text
42
43   $ . env/bin/activate
44
45Or on a Windows system:
46
47.. code-block:: text
48
49   $ env\scripts\activate
50