> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/python/cpython/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Development Environment Setup

> Set up your development environment for contributing to CPython

Before you can start contributing to CPython, you'll need to set up your development environment. This guide will walk you through the process step by step.

## Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

* A Unix-like operating system (Linux, macOS, BSD, or Cygwin on Windows)
* Git for version control
* A C compiler (GCC or Clang)
* Basic development tools (make, etc.)

<Note>
  For Windows development, see [PCbuild/readme.txt](https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/main/PCbuild/readme.txt) for platform-specific instructions.
</Note>

## Getting the Source Code

<Steps>
  <Step title="Fork the repository">
    Visit [github.com/python/cpython](https://github.com/python/cpython) and click the "Fork" button to create your own copy of the repository.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Clone your fork">
    ```bash theme={null}
    git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/cpython.git
    cd cpython
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add upstream remote">
    ```bash theme={null}
    git remote add upstream https://github.com/python/cpython.git
    git fetch upstream
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Installing Dependencies

CPython requires various third-party libraries depending on your platform and configuration. Not all standard library modules are buildable on all platforms.

### Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)

```bash theme={null}
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install build-essential gdb lcov pkg-config \
      libbz2-dev libffi-dev libgdbm-dev libgdbm-compat-dev liblzma-dev \
      libncurses5-dev libreadline6-dev libsqlite3-dev libssl-dev \
      lzma lzma-dev tk-dev uuid-dev zlib1g-dev
```

### Linux (Fedora/RHEL)

```bash theme={null}
sudo dnf install yum-utils gcc-c++ \
      bzip2-devel expat-devel gdbm-devel ncurses-devel openssl-devel \
      readline-devel sqlite-devel tk-devel xz-devel zlib-devel
```

### macOS

```bash theme={null}
brew install openssl xz gdbm
```

<Note>
  macOS has additional configure and build options related to framework and universal builds. See [Mac/README.rst](https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/main/Mac/README.rst) for details.
</Note>

## Configuring Your Workspace

### Editor Setup

CPython follows specific coding standards. Configure your editor to:

* Use 4 spaces for indentation (not tabs)
* Trim trailing whitespace
* Use Unix-style line endings (LF)
* Follow PEP 7 for C code and PEP 8 for Python code

### Git Configuration

```bash theme={null}
# Set your name and email
git config user.name "Your Name"
git config user.email "your.email@example.com"

# Optional: Set up commit template
git config commit.template .gitmessage
```

## Verification

Verify your setup by running a quick configuration test:

```bash theme={null}
./configure --help
```

This should display available configuration options. If it works, you're ready to build CPython!

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Missing configure script">
    If `./configure` doesn't exist, you may need to generate it:

    ```bash theme={null}
    autoreconf -i
    ```

    However, this is rarely needed as the configure script is committed to the repository.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="SSL/OpenSSL errors on macOS">
    macOS's system OpenSSL may be outdated. Install via Homebrew and configure:

    ```bash theme={null}
    brew install openssl
    ./configure --with-openssl=$(brew --prefix openssl)
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Permission denied errors">
    Ensure you have write permissions in the CPython directory. Avoid using `sudo` for build operations.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next Steps

Now that your environment is set up, you're ready to:

* [Build CPython from source](/contributing/building)
* Read the [Developer Guide](https://devguide.python.org/) for comprehensive documentation
* Join the discussion at [Python Discourse](https://discuss.python.org/)

## Additional Resources

* [CPython Developer Guide](https://devguide.python.org/)
* [Build Dependencies](https://devguide.python.org/getting-started/setup-building.html#build-dependencies)
* [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/python/cpython)
* [Issue Tracker](https://github.com/python/cpython/issues)