The Python Oracle

Find full path of the Python interpreter?

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Chapters
00:00 Question
00:20 Accepted answer (Score 887)
00:38 Answer 2 (Score 12)
00:58 Answer 3 (Score 4)
02:17 Thank you

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Full question
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2589...

Accepted answer links:
[documented here]: https://docs.python.org/library/sys.html

Answer 2 links:
[os.environ]: https://docs.python.org/3.4/library/os.h...

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https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/lice...

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Tags
#python #path

#avk47


ACCEPTED ANSWER

Score 981


sys.executable contains full path of the currently running Python interpreter.

import sys

print(sys.executable)

which is now documented here



ANSWER 2

Score 15


Just noting a different way of questionable usefulness, using os.environ:

import os
python_executable_path = os.environ['_']

e.g.

$ python -c "import os; print(os.environ['_'])"
/usr/bin/python


ANSWER 3

Score 1


There are a few alternate ways to figure out the currently used python in Linux is:

  1. which python command.
  2. command -v python command
  3. type python command

Similarly On Windows with Cygwin will also result the same.

kuvivek@HOSTNAME ~
$ which python
/usr/bin/python

kuvivek@HOSTNAME ~
$ whereis python
python: /usr/bin/python /usr/bin/python3.4 /usr/lib/python2.7 /usr/lib/python3.4        /usr/include/python2.7 /usr/include/python3.4m /usr/share/man/man1/python.1.gz

kuvivek@HOSTNAME ~
$ which python3
/usr/bin/python3

kuvivek@HOSTNAME ~
$ command -v python
/usr/bin/python

kuvivek@HOSTNAME ~
$ type python
python is hashed (/usr/bin/python)

If you are already in the python shell. Try anyone of these. Note: This is an alternate way. Not the best pythonic way.

>>> import os
>>> os.popen('which python').read()
'/usr/bin/python\n'
>>>
>>> os.popen('type python').read()
'python is /usr/bin/python\n'
>>>
>>> os.popen('command -v python').read()
'/usr/bin/python\n'
>>>
>>>

If you are not sure of the actual path of the python command and is available in your system, Use the following command.

pi@osboxes:~ $ which python
/usr/bin/python
pi@osboxes:~ $ readlink -f $(which python)
/usr/bin/python2.7
pi@osboxes:~ $ 
pi@osboxes:~ $ which python3
/usr/bin/python3
pi@osboxes:~ $ 
pi@osboxes:~ $ readlink -f $(which python3)
/usr/bin/python3.7
pi@osboxes:~ $