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pypa/pip

10,192PythonAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5Setup · easy

TLDR

pip is the standard Python package installer, type a single command to download and set up any library from the Python Package Index, with automatic dependency resolution, bundled with most Python installations.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Install Python packages
      Manage dependencies
      Upgrade and remove
    How it works
      Downloads from PyPI
      Resolves dependencies
      Command line interface
    Install Sources
      Python Package Index
      Git repositories
      Local directories
    Audience
      Python developers
      Data scientists
      System administrators
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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Install any Python library with a single terminal command, with all required dependencies handled automatically.

USE CASE 2

Pin packages to specific versions in a requirements.txt file to keep a project reproducible across machines.

USE CASE 3

Install Python packages from a private Git repository or a self-hosted PyPI mirror in a corporate environment.

Tech stack

Python

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

In plain English

pip is the official package installer for Python. When Python developers want to add a library or tool to their project, they use pip to download and install it from the Python Package Index (a public repository of thousands of free packages) or from other sources. It comes bundled with most Python installations, so most people already have it without doing anything extra. The way it works is straightforward: you type a command like "pip install requests" in your terminal, and pip fetches the package from the internet and sets it up for you. You can install individual packages, upgrade them to newer versions, or remove them when you no longer need them. It also handles dependencies, meaning if the package you want requires other packages to work, pip installs those too. This repository is where the pip source code lives. It is maintained by the Python Packaging Authority, the group of volunteers and developers responsible for Python's packaging tools and standards. They release a new version roughly every three months, and the project has detailed documentation covering installation, usage, and the release process. If you are just a Python user rather than a developer contributing to pip itself, the main thing to know is that pip is the standard way to extend Python with extra functionality. You interact with it through the command line, and the full reference for every option and command lives at pip.pypa.io.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Using pip, install the requests library, pin it to version 2.31.0 in requirements.txt, and set up a virtual environment for a new Python project.
Prompt 2
How do I use pip to install a Python package directly from a private GitHub repository instead of PyPI?
Prompt 3
Set up pip to install packages from a local directory or a private PyPI mirror inside a corporate network with no public internet.
Prompt 4
How do I contribute a bug fix to the pip source code in pypa/pip, walk me through local setup, running the test suite, and opening a PR.
Prompt 5
Using pip, how do I list all installed packages and check which ones have known security vulnerabilities?
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