Python Basics

Get a jump-start on your Python career with our tutorials designed for beginners.

On this page you’ll find fundamental concepts for Python beginners that will help you get started on your journey to learn Python. These tutorials focus on the absolutely essential things you need to know about Python.

We’re super passionate about teaching with articles and tutorials here on realpython.com—and we’d love to help you, too! Once you’re ready to move on to the next stage, check out our intermediate Python tutorials.

Free Bonus: Python Cheat Sheet

Get a Python Cheat Sheet (PDF) and learn the basics of Python 3, like working with data types, dictionaries, lists, and Python functions:

The Best Way to Get Started

The best way to get started is with our Python Basics Book:

Python Basics Book

Learning Path

Python Basics Book

19 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python 3 Fundamentals, Real-World Projects

Python Basics is for people who want to learn Python programming—whether you are a complete beginner to programming, or a developer with experience in another language.

Python's del: Remove References From Scopes and Containers

Python's del: Remove References From Scopes and Containers

basics best-practices python

How to Read Python Input as Integers

How to Read Python Input as Integers

Mar 27, 2023 basics

Python's sum(): The Pythonic Way to Sum Values

Summing Values the Pythonic Way With sum()

Mar 21, 2023 basics python

The Terminal: First Steps and Useful Commands

The Terminal: First Steps and Useful Commands

Feb 22, 2023 basics tools

Using the Terminal on Windows

Using the Terminal on Windows

Feb 21, 2023 basics

Python Basics: Building Systems With Classes

Python Basics: Building Systems With Classes

Feb 07, 2023 basics python

Build a Wordle Clone With Python and Rich

Build a Wordle Clone With Python and Rich

Feb 06, 2023 basics projects

Using the Terminal on Linux

Using the Terminal on Linux

Jan 31, 2023 basics

The Python Standard REPL: Try Out Code and Ideas Quickly

The Python Standard REPL: Try Out Code and Ideas Quickly

Jan 25, 2023 basics tools

Python Basics: Object-Oriented Programming

Python Basics: Object-Oriented Programming

Jan 24, 2023 basics python

Python Basics: File System Operations

Python Basics Exercises: File System Operations

Jan 17, 2023 basics python

Using the Terminal on macOS Title Image

Using the Terminal on macOS

Jan 10, 2023 basics

Python Basics: File System Operations

Python Basics: File System Operations

Dec 20, 2022 basics python

Python's "in" and "not in" Operators: Check for Membership

Python's "in" and "not in" Operators: Check for Membership

Dec 19, 2022 basics best-practices python

Python Basics: Dictionaries

Python Basics: Dictionaries

Dec 06, 2022 basics python

Advent of Code

Advent of Code: Solving Your Puzzles With Python

Nov 30, 2022 basics testing

Python Basics: Scopes

Python Basics: Scopes

Nov 01, 2022 basics python

Python Basics: Numbers and Math

Python Basics: Numbers and Math

Oct 18, 2022 basics python

Python Basics: Strings and String Methods

Python Basics: Strings and String Methods

Oct 04, 2022 basics python

How to Add Python to PATH

How to Add Python to PATH

Sep 26, 2022 basics best-practices devops

How to Replace a String in Python

How to Replace a String in Python

Sep 14, 2022 basics best-practices

Python Basics: Conditional Logic & Control Flow

Python Basics: Conditional Logic and Control Flow

Sep 13, 2022 basics python

HTML and CSS for Python Developers

HTML and CSS for Python Developers

Sep 07, 2022 basics django flask front-end web-dev

Python Basics: Functions and Loops

Python Basics: Functions and Loops

Aug 30, 2022 basics python

How to Check if a Python String Contains a Substring

How to Check if a Python String Contains a Substring

Aug 22, 2022 basics best-practices

How to Find the Absolute Value in Python

How to Find an Absolute Value in Python

Aug 17, 2022 basics python

Python Basics: Finding and Fixing Code Bugs

Python Basics: Finding and Fixing Code Bugs

Aug 02, 2022 basics tools

Your Python Coding Environment on Windows: Setup Guide

Your Python Coding Environment on Windows: Setup Guide

Jul 25, 2022 basics tools

Using the "not" Boolean Operator in Python

Using the Python not Operator

Jul 19, 2022 basics python

NumPy's max() and maximum(): Find Extreme Values in Arrays

NumPy's max() and maximum(): Find Extreme Values in Arrays

Jul 13, 2022 basics data-science

Using the "and" Boolean Operator in Python

Using the Python and Operator

Jul 05, 2022 basics best-practices python

How Can You Emulate Do-While Loops in Python?

How Can You Emulate Do-While Loops in Python?

Jun 20, 2022 basics best-practices python

Build Your Python Project Documentation With MkDocs

Build Your Python Project Documentation With MkDocs

Jun 15, 2022 basics projects tools

Build a Quiz Application With Python

Build a Quiz Application With Python

Jun 08, 2022 basics projects

Top Python Game Engines

Top Python Game Engines

May 04, 2022 basics gamedev

Python's min() and max(): Find Smallest and Largest Values

Python's min() and max(): Find Smallest and Largest Values

May 02, 2022 basics python

Python Keywords: An Introduction

Exploring Keywords in Python

Apr 12, 2022 basics python

Use FastAPI to Build Web APIs

Python REST APIs With FastAPI

Apr 05, 2022 api basics web-dev

Python GUI Programming With Tkinter

Python GUI Programming With Tkinter

Mar 30, 2022 basics gui

Python Basics: Code Your First Python Program

Python Basics: Code Your First Python Program

Python's Counter: The Pythonic Way to Count Objects

Counting With Python's Counter

Manage Your To-Do Lists Using Python and Django

Manage Your To-Do Lists Using Python and Django

basics django projects web-dev

Python any(): Powered Up Boolean Function

Python any(): Powered Up Boolean Function

Python's all(): Check Your Iterables for Truthiness

Python's all(): Check Your Iterables for Truthiness

basics best-practices python

Using Python Optional Arguments When Defining Functions

Defining Python Functions With Optional Arguments

Using Python's pip to Manage Your Projects' Dependencies

Using Python's pip to Manage Your Projects' Dependencies

Using the len() Function in Python

Python's len() Function

Raining Outside? Build a Weather CLI App With Python

Raining Outside? Build a Weather CLI App With Python