Spyder is the best Python IDE I have used for data analysis, scientific computing, and general Python development. I’ve been using it for years, and despite trying alternatives such as PyCharm, VS Code, and Rodeo, I keep coming back to Spyder. In this post, I’ll explain why it’s my preferred Python IDE, walk through the features I use most often, show you how to install Spyder on Ubuntu, and briefly compare it with Rodeo.
When I first started programming in Python, I used IDLE, the editor included with the standard Python installation. It worked well enough for learning the language, but I eventually wanted something that made data analysis and larger projects easier to manage. Around the same time I started learning R, I discovered RStudio. Its workflow immediately appealed to me and made me look for a Python IDE with a similar focus on interactive programming and data analysis. That’s when I found Spyder.