Setting Up Your Environment

We are going to create a safe, isolated space for this project using a virtual environment

1. Create your project folder

Pick a safe location to store your work.

Inside of this folder, create an sqli-lab folder.

2. Install Python (if you have not already)

Open your web browser and go to python.org/downloads and download the latest stable version of Python for your OS.

Important

Windows Users: When running the installer, make sure to check the box that says Add python.exe to PATH before clicking install. This is the most common cause of issues for beginners!

3. Verify Python is installed

Open your terminal and type the following command. Press Enter after typing it.

=== “Windows (PowerShell)”

python --version

=== “macOS/Linux (Terminal)”

python3 --version

You should see something along the lines of Python 3.XX.X. If you get an error, see Troubleshooting.

4. Create and open your project with VS Code (Recommended)

Open Visual Studio Code
Go to File > Open Folder
Open the sqli-lab folder that you just created.
Open a new terminal inside of VS Code (Terminal > New Terminal)

Your terminal should now be opened inside of your sqli-lab folder.

Checkpoint 1

I can run python --version (Windows) or python3 --version (macOS/Linux) and see a version number.
I have opened my sqli-lab folder in VS Code.
I have a terminal open inside of it.

Note

What is a virtual environment? It’s like a clean room for this project. Any packages that we install (like Flask) will only exist for this lab, and won’t interfere with any other Python projects on your computer!