# Getting Started


## 1. Create a Git repository

Start by creating a repository on GitHub or another Git hosting platform.

- Give it a descriptive name.
- Add a `README.md` explaining what the project does.
- Add a `.gitignore` to prevent unnecessary files from being committed. Github has a Python template you should use, which prevents cache or build data to be commited
- Commit changes regularly with descriptive commit messages.

## 2. Recommended project structure

```text
my-project/
├── src/
│   ├── main.py
│   ├── utils.py
│   └── ...
├── .venv/
├── .gitignore
├── requirements.txt
└── README.md
```
## 3. requirements.txt

Use `requirements.txt` to keep track of external Python packages your project depends on.

Example:

```text
requests==2.32.5
beautifulsoup4==4.14.2
```

- One package per line.
- Pin versions to make installations reproducible.
- Update the file whenever you add or remove dependencies.

Install all dependencies with:

```bash
pip install -r requirements.txt
```
# Next step: Set up a virtual environment

A virtual environment (`venv`) creates an isolated Python environment for your project.

This means:
- Each project can have its own dependencies.
- Installing packages won't affect your system Python installation.
- Different projects can use different package versions.

## 1. Check your Python installation

```bash
python3 --version
```


## 2. Create the virtual environment

Navigate to your project directory:

```bash
cd my-project
```

Create the environment:

```bash
python3 -m venv .venv
```
This creates a `.venv/` directory containing the isolated Python environment.

## 3. Activate the virtual environment


```bash
source .venv/bin/activate
```
Once activated, your terminal should show something similar to:

```text
(.venv) user@computer:~/my-project$
```

## 4. Install dependencies

With the virtual environment activated:

```bash
pip install -r requirements.txt
```

You can now install additional packages:

```bash
pip install requests
```

If you add a new dependency, update `requirements.txt` by running `pip freeze` which lists all installed packages.:

```bash
pip freeze > requirements.txt
```
## 5. Deactivate the environment

When you're finished working or want to change to a different virtual environment:

```bash
deactivate
```