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Develop locally

Local development means writing your VIKTOR app in Python on your own machine, using your preferred IDE (such as VS Code or PyCharm) and connecting to the VIKTOR platform through the VIKTOR CLI. It gives you full control over your code, packages, and tooling — the right choice once your app outgrows the App Builder or when you want to use features like Git, automated testing, or desktop software integrations.

This page walks you through installing VIKTOR locally, running your first app, and getting familiar with the tools you'll use day-to-day.

Installation​

To start developing locally:

  1. Navigate to the develop page
  2. In the ‘Level up’ section, click on More
  3. Then hit ‘Install’

The pop-up will guide you through the installation process.

Installation process

For more guidance and more advanced installation options see Install VIKTOR

Starter guide​

Once you have installed you can continue to the next step; ‘Learn the basics’.

  1. As part of the installation process a ‘Hello VIKTOR’ app has been created. This is your first app.
  2. Click ‘Develop’ to go into the ‘Hello VIKTOR’ app preview.

Develop button

In this app you will find the Starter guide which will help you to familiarize yourself with the basics of coding a VIKTOR app.

Starter guide

Tools​

At the start of your developer journey, all the different terms can feel a bit overwhelming. So here’s a quick summary of the main tools you’ll be using:

Tools

IDE (Integrated Development Environment)​

This is the program you use to develop your VIKTOR app. Popular choices are Visual Studio Code or PyCharm. These IDE’s include a couple of helpful features:

  • Code editor: where you write and edit your app’s code.
  • Terminal: a place where you can type commands to your computer. You’ll use it to run your app and connect it to VIKTOR platform using the VIKTOR CLI.

For more information on how to setup your code editor, go to: Setting up code editor.

Python​

This is the programming language used to write VIKTOR apps. We chose Python because it is designed to be readable and beginner-friendly.

VIKTOR supports Python 3.10 - 3.13 (64-bit). Python can be downloaded from the official website.

VIKTOR SDK (Software Development Kit)​

The VIKTOR SDK is a Python package that gives your app everything it needs to become a VIKTOR app: ready-made components and helpful utilities that you use to build your app. You install it on your computer and use it in your Python code.

That’s why you put import viktor as vkt at the start of your app.py file — it tells Python that you want to use the tools from the VIKTOR SDK in your app.

VIKTOR CLI (Command Line Interface)​

A small helper program you use in the terminal to start your app and connect it to the VIKTOR platform. For more information about the CLI and all available commands, go to VIKTOR CLI.

VIKTOR Platform (in the browser)​

This is where your app actually runs and is displayed. While you write your code and start your app from your computer, the VIKTOR platform runs your app in the cloud. You can open it in your browser to see the app, interact with it, and check your results — exactly as your users will.

Packages & dependencies​

When developing locally app dependencies need to be specified in your app's requirements.txt file.

For more information about packages & dependencies, go to Using Python Packages.

NEED HELP

If you encounter any problems during installation, or starting with local development check the FAQ for common solutions. Still stuck? Our developers are ready to help you on the Community Forum.