Using Python -c Command Flag

Using Python -c Command Flag | Generated by AI

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Question: How do I use python -c to execute Python code directly from the command line?

Answer:

The -c flag allows you to pass a string containing Python code that will be executed immediately, without creating a script file.

Basic syntax

python -c "code_here"
# or with python3 explicitly
python3 -c "code_here"

Simple examples

# Print something
python -c "print('Hello, world!')"

# Do some math
python -c "print(2 + 2 * 10)"

# Import and use modules
python -c "import math; print(math.sqrt(16))"

# Multiple statements (use semicolons or explicit line breaks)
python -c "import sys; print(sys.version); print('Platform:', sys.platform)"

Handling quotes and complex code

When your code contains quotes or spans multiple lines, you need to escape properly depending on your shell.

Single-line with single quotes inside

python -c "print('Single quotes are fine inside double-quoted string')"
python -c 'import os; print("User home:", os.path.expanduser("~"))'

Multi-line code (recommended way)

Use a heredoc or quote the entire block:

python -c "
import json
data = {'name': 'Alice', 'age': 30}
print(json.dumps(data, indent=2))
"

Or with single quotes and escaped newlines:

python -c 'import antigravity
print("Flying to xkcd...")
'

Alternative: Use `\` for line continuation (bash/zsh)

python -c 'import sys, json; \
data = [line.strip() for line in sys.stdin]; \
print(json.dumps(data))'

Common one-liners you’ll actually use

# List all files in current directory (alternative to ls)
python -c "import os; print('\n'.join(os.listdir('.')))"

# Get your public IP
python -c "import urllib.request; print(urllib.request.urlopen('https://api.ipify.org').read().decode())"

# Quick HTTP server (Python 3)
python -c "import http.server, socketserver; http.server.test(HandlerClass=http.server.SimpleHTTPRequestHandler, Port=8000)"

# Generate a range and sum it
python -c "print(sum(range(1, 101)))"  # prints 5050

Tips

Always wrap the code in quotes to prevent shell interpretation.
Use python3 instead of python on systems where python points to Python 2.
For very long scripts, consider writing a proper .py file instead.

That’s it! python -c is perfect for quick calculations, testing snippets, or automation in shell scripts.

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