> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.paradime.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Using venv

[https://docs.python.org/3/library/venv.html](https://docs.python.org/3/library/venv.html)

Virtual environments (venv) are self-contained directories that contain a Python installation for a particular version of Python, plus a number of additional packages.

## Creating a virtual environment

<Info>
  This method will inherit the surrounding dbt virtual environment, including all dbt packages.
</Info>

To create a virtual environment in Paradime IDE:

1. Open the terminal in the Paradime Code IDE.
2. Navigate to your project directory.
3. Run the following command:

```bash theme={"system"}
python -m venv my_venv
```

This creates a new virtual environment named `my_venv` in your current directory.

## Activating the virtual environment

To activate a [virtual environment](/developers/virtual-environments/using-venv#creating-a-standard-virtual-environment), run:

```bash theme={"system"}
source my_venv/bin/activate
```

## Deactivating a virtual environment

To exit the virtual environment, simply run:

```bash theme={"system"}
deactivate
```


## Related topics

- [Troubleshooting](/developers/virtual-environments/troubleshooting.md)
- [Using Poetry](/developers/virtual-environments/using-poetry.md)
- [Using Azure Pipelines](/products/bolt/ci-cd/continuous-deployment-with-bolt/using-azure-pipelines.md)
- [Using dlt in Paradime](/guides/using-dlt-in-paradime/index.md)
- [Using Merge for Incremental Models](/guides/dbt-fundamentals/model-materializations/incremental-materialization/using-merge-for-incremental-models.md)