# Install Amazon ParallelCluster on Linux
<a name="install-linux"></a>

You can install Amazon ParallelCluster and its dependencies on most Linux distributions by using `pip`, a package manager for Python. First, determine if Python and `pip` are installed:

1. To determine if your version of Linux includes Python and `pip`, run `pip --version`.

   ```
   $ pip --version
   ```

   If you have `pip` installed, go on to the [Install Amazon ParallelCluster with pip](install.md) topic. Otherwise, continue with Step 2.

1. To determine if Python is installed, run `python --version`.

   ```
   $ python --version
   ```

   If you have Python 3 version 3.6\+ or Python 2 version 2.7 installed, go on to the [Install Amazon ParallelCluster with pip](install.md) topic. Otherwise, [install Python](install-linux-python.md), and then return to this procedure to install `pip`.

1. Install `pip` by using the script that the *Python Packaging Authority* provides. 

1. Use the `curl` command to download the installation script.

   ```
   $ curl -O https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py
   ```

1. Run the script with Python to download and install the latest version of `pip` and other required support packages.

   ```
   $ python get-pip.py --user
   ```

   or

   ```
   $ python3 get-pip.py --user
   ```

   When you include the `--user` switch, the script installs `pip` to the path `~/.local/bin`.

1. To verify that the folder that contains `pip` is part of your `PATH` variable, do the following:

   1. Find your shell's profile script in your user folder. If you're not sure which shell you have, run `basename $SHELL`.

      ```
      $ ls -a ~
      .  ..  .bash_logout  .bash_profile  .bashrc  Desktop  Documents  Downloads
      ```
      + **Bash** – `.bash_profile`, `.profile`, or `.bash_login`
      + **Zsh** – `.zshrc`
      + **Tcsh** – `.tcshrc`, `.cshrc` or `.login`

   1. Add an export command at the end of your profile script that's similar to the following example.

      ```
      export PATH={{~/.local/bin}}:$PATH
      ```

      The export command inserts the path, which is `~/.local/bin` in this example, at the front of the existing `PATH` variable.

   1. To put these changes into effect, reload the profile into your current session.

      ```
      $ source ~/{{.bash_profile}}
      ```

1. Verify that `pip` is installed correctly.

   ```
   $ pip3 --version
   pip 21.3.1 from ~/.local/lib/python3.6/site-packages (python 3.6)
   ```

**Topics**
+ [Install Amazon ParallelCluster with `pip`](#install-linux-with-pip)
+ [Add the Amazon ParallelCluster executable to your command line path](#install-linux-path)
+ [Installing Python on Linux](install-linux-python.md)

## Install Amazon ParallelCluster with `pip`
<a name="install-linux-with-pip"></a>

Use `pip` to install Amazon ParallelCluster.

```
$ python3 -m pip install "aws-parallelcluster<3.0" --upgrade --user
```

When you use the `--user` switch, `pip` installs Amazon ParallelCluster to `~/.local/bin`. 

Verify that Amazon ParallelCluster installed correctly.

```
$ pcluster version
2.11.9
```

To upgrade to the latest version, run the installation command again.

```
$ python3 -m pip install "aws-parallelcluster<3.0" --upgrade --user
```

## Add the Amazon ParallelCluster executable to your command line path
<a name="install-linux-path"></a>

After installing with `pip`, you might need to add the `pcluster` executable to your operating system's `PATH` environment variable.

To verify the folder in which `pip` installed Amazon ParallelCluster, run the following command.

```
$ which pcluster
/home/{{username}}/.local/bin/pcluster
```

If you omitted the `--user` switch when you installed Amazon ParallelCluster, the executable might be in the `bin` folder of your Python installation. If you don't know where Python is installed, run this command.

```
$ which python
/usr/local/bin/python
```

Note that the output might be the path to a symlink, not to the actual executable. To see where the symlink points, run `ls -al`.

```
$ ls -al $(which python)
/usr/local/bin/python -> ~/.local/Python/3.6/bin/python3.6
```

If this is the same folder that you added to the path in step 3 in [Installing Amazon ParallelCluster](install.md), you're done with the installation. Otherwise, you must perform steps 3a – 3c again, adding this additional folder to the path.