Pip and requirements.txt

pip and requirements.txt in Python

pip is the official tool for installing and managing packages in Python. Together with the requirements.txt file, it allows you to easily control your project dependencies and share them with others.

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What is pip?

• pip is the package manager for Python.
• It allows you to easily install, update, and uninstall libraries from the terminal.

Basic usage example

pip install package_name

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What is requirements.txt?

• It is a text file where all the dependencies (packages and versions) necessary for your project are listed.
• It facilitates the installation of all the libraries at once, ideal for sharing projects or working in a team.

Example of requirements.txt

requests==2.31.0
numpy>=1.25.0
flask

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How to create requirements.txt?

With your virtual environment activated and all packages installed, run:

pip freeze > requirements.txt

This will generate a file with all current dependencies.

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How to install dependencies from requirements.txt?

To install all the dependencies listed in the file:

pip install -r requirements.txt

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Best practices

• Use a virtual environment for each project.
• Update the requirements.txt file each time you add or remove packages.
• Include requirements.txt in your repository to facilitate collaboration.

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Summary

• pip allows you to install and manage packages easily.
• requirements.txt helps to share and reproduce your project environment.
• They are essential tools for any modern Python developer.

Ready to manage your dependencies like a pro? Try creating and using a requirements.txt file in your next project!