The Terminal: First Steps and Useful Commands for Python Developers

The terminal provides Python developers with direct control over their operating system through text commands. Instead of clicking through menus, you type commands to navigate folders, run scripts, install packages, and manage version control. This command-line approach is faster and more flexible than graphical interfaces for many development tasks.

This tutorial walks through the fundamentals of terminal usage on Windows, Linux, and macOS. The examples cover file system navigation, creating files and folders, managing packages with pip, and tracking code changes with Git.