When you enter a directory in your terminal, the version manager checks for this hidden file.
: Match the version in this file to the version used in your production environment (e.g., your Dockerfile or AWS Lambda runtime) to ensure consistent behavior across all stages of development. Common Alternatives .python version
: Navigate to your project folder and run pyenv local 3.12.0 . This automatically generates the .python-version file for you. Best Practices for Teams When you enter a directory in your terminal,
: Follow the installation guide on the pyenv GitHub repository. This automatically generates the
: Hardcodes the version in the FROM instruction of a Dockerfile .
: You should typically commit the .python-version file to your Git repository. This ensures that every developer on the team is using the exact same version of Python, reducing "it works on my machine" bugs.
To use this file effectively, you should first install a version manager.