How to Run GitHub Code in Jupyter Notebook (2024)

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through the process of running code from GitHub in a Jupyter Notebook. This is a valuable skill for data scientists and developers who want to leverage existing code and collaborate efficiently. By the end of this guide, you will be able to clone a GitHub repository and execute its code in your Jupyter Notebook environment.

Step 1: Install Required Software

Before you can run GitHub code in Jupyter Notebook, ensure you have the following installed:

• Anaconda: This is a popular distribution that includes Jupyter Notebook. Download it from Anaconda's official site.
• Git: You need Git to clone repositories. Download it from Git's official site.

Practical Tip

Make sure to add Git to your system's PATH during installation so you can run Git commands from the command line.

Step 2: Open Jupyter Notebook

Once you have installed the necessary software, follow these steps to open Jupyter Notebook:

1. Launch Anaconda Navigator from your applications.
2. Click on the "Launch" button under the Jupyter Notebook option.
3. A new tab will open in your default web browser showing the Jupyter Notebook dashboard.

Step 3: Clone the GitHub Repository

To run code from a GitHub repository, you need to clone it to your local machine:

1. Open a terminal or command prompt.

2. Navigate to the directory where you want to save the repository using the cd command.

3. Use the following command to clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git
   

   Replace https://github.com/username/repository.git with the actual URL of the GitHub repository you want to clone.

Common Pitfall

Ensure the repository URL is correct; otherwise, you will encounter an error during cloning.

Step 4: Navigate to the Cloned Repository

After cloning, you need to navigate into the directory of the cloned repository:

1. In the terminal or command prompt, type:

   cd repository
   

   Replace repository with the name of the cloned folder.

Step 5: Open Notebooks in Jupyter

Now that you have the code locally, you can open the Jupyter Notebook files:

1. In the Jupyter Notebook dashboard, navigate to the cloned repository folder.
2. Find and click on the .ipynb file you want to run.

Step 6: Install Required Packages

Before running the notebook, ensure all necessary Python packages are installed. You can do this directly in the Jupyter Notebook:

1. Open a new cell in your notebook.

2. Use the following command to install packages:

   !pip install package_name
   

   Replace package_name with the libraries needed by the code (check the notebook for any import statements indicating required packages).

Step 7: Run the Code

Finally, you can start executing the code in your Jupyter Notebook:

1. Click on the cell containing the code you want to run.
2. Press Shift + Enter to execute the cell.
3. Repeat for any additional cells as needed.

Conclusion

You have now successfully cloned a GitHub repository and run its code in Jupyter Notebook. This process allows you to utilize existing code bases efficiently, facilitating learning and development. For further exploration, consider experimenting with additional repositories or contributing to open-source projects!