The default integrated development environment bundled with Python is IDLE, short for Integrated Development and Learning Environment. It provides a straightforward editor and interactive Python shell without requiring a separate commercial or third-party application.
IDLE includes syntax highlighting, automatic indentation, code completion, a multi-window editor, and a debugger with stepping and breakpoints. It is designed to be cross-platform and approachable, which makes it particularly common in introductory programming courses and beginner tutorials.
Guido van Rossum created IDLE, and its first release appeared with Python 1.5.2b1 in December 1998. The name also likely nods to Eric Idle of Monty Python, the comedy group that inspired Python’s name. IDLE is not the only way to program in Python: editors such as Visual Studio Code and Sublime Text can be extended for Python, while PyCharm is a full-featured dedicated IDE. However, those tools are separate installations.