Python pip Guide: How to Install and Manage Packages

Python is famous for its “standard library” (built-in tools), but its real power comes from the 300,000+ third-party packages available on the Python Package Index (PyPI).

To get these packages, you use pip. A thorough guide on Python pip can help with troubleshooting installation issues.

pip stands for “Pip Installs Packages.” It’s the standard tool for installing libraries like Flask, Django, and Pandas.

How to Check if You Have pip

Open your terminal or command prompt and type:

pip --version

If you see a version number (like pip 23.0...), you’re good to go. It comes installed by default with modern Python. Additionally, a pip guide focused on Python can assist with managing weird cases.

1. Installing a Package

To install a package, just tell pip its name.

pip install requests

This will download the latest version of the requests library and install it into your current environment.

2. Installing a Specific Version

Sometimes you need an older version of a library to make a specific project work.

pip install flask==2.0.1

This forces pip to install exactly version 2.0.1.

3. Listing Installed Packages

Want to see what you have installed in your environment?

pip list

This shows a list of every package and its version number.

4. The requirements.txt File

Professional Python developers use a file called requirements.txt to list all the packages a project needs, and following a Python pip guide can be helpful in this.

To install everything in a requirements file at once:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Summary

pip is your gateway to the wider Python ecosystem. Always remember to use it inside a Virtual Environment to keep your projects well organised!