Installing python: who is deadsnakes and why should I trust them?

Question

I want to install Python 3.9 on my Ubuntu 20.04, and all tutorials I can find include a step as follows:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deadsnakes/ppa

I am concerned about security. I've looked into this question: Are PPAs safe to add to my system and what are some "red flags" to watch out for?

According to the answers, some of the main points to consider are:

• Who made the PPA
  • Someone named deadsnakes, apparently, but what can I conclude from this?
• How many users have used the PPA
  • Where to get this information? Someone asked this in a comment 9 years ago but it wasn't responded.

Attempts to search the internet for deadsnakes only brought me into tutorials on how to install Python, which is where I started...

Thanks!

Solution

Note: Please don't change the default version of python3. You may end up destroying Ubuntu. Instead, run python3.9 with the command python3.9.

Also, you can install python 3.9.5 in Ubuntu 20.04 even without the deadsnake PPA with the commands

sudo add-apt-repository universe
sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3.9

---

Now let's answer your questions.

Someone named deadsnakes

No, deadsnakes is a pun on python.

Who made the PPA

As you can see here, the packages in the PPA are uploaded by Felix Krull and Anthony Sottile.

How many users have used the PPA

According to PPA Stats, Python3.9 alone has been downloaded 2208666 times, as of writing this answer. On average, there are 10000 downloads per day.

Comments

[Pedro A]

I've just asked a question on meta to try to understand why this was closed as a duplicate.

[Archisman Panigrahi]

I don't get why this question is receiving so many downvotes.

[Artur Meinild]

Related Q&A: Are PPAs safe to add to my system and what are some "red flags" to watch out for?

[ubfan1]

Note you would have to have the Universe repositories enabled to get python3.9.5

[Pedro A]

Excellent answer, thank you very much!!