How to Install Python 3.8 on Ubuntu 24.04

Introduction

Before we begin talking about how to install Python 3.8 on Ubuntu 24.04, let's briefly understand – What is Python?

Python 3.8 is a programming language update that brings several enhancements and new features to the Python ecosystem. It introduces improvements like the walrus operator, which enables assignment within an expression, making code more concise.

Python 3.8 also includes a performance boost with optimizations that make code execution faster and more efficient. In addition, this update incorporates new syntax features, improvements in modules, and enhanced security protocols.

In this tutorial, you will install Python 3.8 on Ubuntu 24.04. We will also address a few FAQs on how to install Python 3.8 on Ubuntu 24.04.

Advantages of Python 3.8

1. Walrus Operator: This new symbol (:=) makes code cleaner and easier to read, especially when you need to assign a value and use it immediately.
2. Positional-Only Arguments: You can now force function arguments to be passed in a specific order, preventing potential errors.  
3. Improved F-Strings: Debugging is simpler with more detailed error messages when using f-strings.  
4. Faster Performance: Python 3.8 is generally faster than previous versions, which means your programs will run quicker.  
5. New Modules and Functions: Python 3.8 added helpful tools for working with math, statistics, and other tasks.

Prerequisites to Install Python 3.8 on Ubuntu 24.04

• An operating Ubuntu 24.04 server is required.
• You must have sudo or root access to run privileged commands.
• You must have the apt or apt-get utility installed on your server.

How to Install Python 3.8 on Ubuntu 24.04

Step 1 – Update Your Server

Before you consider installing any new packages, it is advisable to run a system-wide update using the apt update or apt-get update command as shown below. All of your packages will be installed in their most recent iterations, lowering the possibility of any broken package errors.

sudo apt update

Step 2 – Install Python 3.8

You can install whatever version of python3 best suits your requirements, by using deadsnakes PPA, we'll install python 3.8, First, add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deadsnakes/ppa

Now, you can install the required version of Python:

sudo apt install python3.8 -y

Step 3 – Check Python Version

Using the python3.8 —version command, you may determine the installed version of Python. As you can see, the version is 3.8.19.

python3.8 --version

Output

Python 3.8.19

Step 4 – Write your First Python Program

You must now be wondering how we can verify the use of the Python tool. In order to verify, you can create a simple Python file and run it. Here's an example of a simple Python program that prints the message hello world using our favorite nano editor, we will create a new file called hello.py and write a print statement to display hello world, as demonstrated below.

nano hello.py

Enter the below program:

print("Hello World !!")

Execute the program file:

python3.8 hello.py

Output

Hello World !!

Step 5 – Remove Python 3.8

You might wonder if the python3.8 that we installed before can be removed. Well, I would advise against it because it's likely that some program that depends on this version may be affected. However, if you are certain that you don't need it any longer, you may simply uninstall it by using the following command:

sudo apt remove python3.8 -y
	# OR
sudo apt-get remove python3.8 -y

FAQs to Install Python 3.8 on Ubuntu 24.04

Conclusion

We hope this detailed tutorial helped you to install Python 3.8 on Ubuntu 24.04.

If you have any queries, feel free to drop a comment below, and we'll be happy to help.