IPython is basically an enhanced shell. It’s worth it just for the autocompletion alone, but there is much more. I like it too for all the magic commands that are built-in. Here are a few :
%cd
— to change the current working directory%edit
— to open an editor and execute the code you typed in after closing the editor%env
— to show the current environment variables%pip install [pkgs]
— to install packages without leaving the interactive shell%time
and%timeit
— to time the execution of Python code
Read the full list here.
Another useful feature is referencing the output of a previous command. In and Out are actual objects. You can use the output of the 3rd command by using Out[3]
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Install IPython with:
$ pip3 install ipython