How to Install Python 3 on CentOS 7

Python is one of the most widely used programming languages, known for its simplicity and versatility. Whether you’re developing web applications, data science projects, or automation scripts, Python is an essential tool for developers. While CentOS 7 server comes with Python 2.x by default, many modern applications and frameworks now require Python 3. In this article, we will walk you through the steps to install Python 3 on CentOS 7, ensuring you can work with the latest version of Python.

Prerequisites

Before installing Python 3, you need to ensure your system is updated and that you have root or sudo privileges. This will help avoid any permission issues during installation.

1. Access to a CentOS 7 server

2. Root or sudo privileges

3. Basic knowledge of using the command line

Step 1: Update the System

It’s always a good idea to update your system packages before installing new software. Open a terminal and run the following command to update your CentOS 7 system:

This will ensure that all existing packages are up to date and any security patches are applied.

Step 2: Enable EPEL Repository

The Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (EPEL) repository contains additional packages that are not included in the default CentOS repositories. To install Python 3 on CentOS 7, you will need to enable the EPEL repository first.

To enable the EPEL repository, run the following command:

Once the repository is enabled, your system will have access to a wide range of additional packages, including Python 3.

Step 3: Install Python 3

Now that the EPEL repository is enabled, you can proceed to install Python 3. CentOS 7 uses the yum package manager, so you can use the following command to install Python 3:

This command will install Python 3 and the associated tools, including pip (Python’s package manager).

Step 4: Verify the Installation

After the installation is complete, verify that Python 3 has been installed correctly by checking the version. Run the following command to check the Python version:

You should see an output similar to:

This confirms that Python 3 has been successfully installed on your CentOS 7 system.

Step 5: Install pip for Python 3 (Optional)

pip is the package manager for Python that allows you to install additional Python packages. While pip is often installed automatically along with Python 3, you can verify if it was installed by running:

If pip is not installed, you can install it manually with the following command:

Once installed, you can use pip to install additional Python packages:

Step 6: Set Python 3 as the Default (Optional)

By default, CentOS 7 uses Python 2.x as the system Python. If you’d like to make Python 3 the default version when running the python command, you can create an alias.

To make this change, open the .bash_profile file for your user:

Then, add the following line at the end of the file:

Save and exit the file (CTRL+X, then Y, and press Enter). To apply the changes, reload your profile:

Now, when you run the python command, it will invoke Python 3.

Step 7: Installing Additional Libraries (Optional)

If you need additional libraries or development tools, you can install them using yum. For example, if you want to install the development tools needed for compiling Python extensions, you can run:

This will install a set of tools that can help you build and manage Python packages and extensions.

Conclusion

Installing Python 3 on CentOS 7 is a relatively simple yet essential process for modern software development. By following the steps outlined in this guide — from enabling required repositories to compiling Python from source or installing via yum — you’ve successfully equipped your system with one of the most powerful and widely-used programming languages in the world.

Python 3 is the standard for a vast array of applications today, from web development to automation, data science, DevOps, and machine learning. Ensuring your CentOS 7 server runs the latest stable version of Python allows you to take full advantage of its continuously growing ecosystem of packages and frameworks.

If you’ve installed Python using the system package manager, keeping it updated is simple:

However, if you’ve compiled it from source, updating will require downloading and compiling the newer version manually — a process very similar to what you’ve already done.

As a final note, consider setting up a virtual environment using venv or virtualenv for your projects. This helps isolate dependencies, avoid version conflicts, and maintain cleaner development workflows.

You are now ready to:

• Run Python 3 scripts and applications

• Use pip to install third-party libraries

• Create virtual environments for isolated project setups

• Build, deploy, and automate tasks on your CentOS 7 server with Python 3

With Python 3 properly installed and configured, your CentOS 7 system is now fully equipped to support modern development environments. Dive into your next project with confidence — whether you’re building APIs with Flask or Django, automating server operations, or analyzing data with Pandas and NumPy.

Conclusion

Installing Python 3 on CentOS 7 is a crucial step for anyone looking to run modern applications or develop software using current libraries and frameworks. This guide walked you through enabling the required repositories, installing dependencies, downloading the source code, and compiling Python 3. With these steps completed, you now have a robust, up-to-date Python environment on a traditionally conservative operating system.

CentOS 7 doesn’t come with Python 3 by default, but with this method, you retain the system’s stability while gaining access to the flexibility and power of Python 3.x. Whether you’re running automation scripts, deploying Django/Flask apps, or using tools like Ansible, your CentOS server is now ready for the task. Remember to use python3 and pip3 explicitly in your commands, and consider creating virtual environments with venv to keep your projects isolated and manageable.

You’re now fully equipped to build, test, and deploy Python-based applications on CentOS 7 — efficiently and securely.