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pipenv VS Python Package Index

Compare pipenv VS Python Package Index and see what are their differences

pipenv logo pipenv

Python Development Workflow for Humans. Contribute to pypa/pipenv development by creating an account on GitHub.

Python Package Index logo Python Package Index

A repository of software for the Python programming language
  • pipenv Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-26
  • Python Package Index Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-01

pipenv features and specs

  • Integrated Workflow
    Pipenv combines the functionalities of pip and virtualenv, providing a seamless environment for package installation and management, making the development workflow more efficient and organized.
  • Automatic Virtual Environment Management
    Automatically creates and manages a virtual environment for projects, ensuring that dependencies are maintained separately and do not interfere with the system Python or other projects.
  • Lock File Generation
    Generates a Pipfile.lock to ensure deterministic builds, making sure that installations are consistent across different environments or deployments.
  • User-Friendly Package Installation
    Simplifies package installation with a straightforward and intuitive interface. Pipenv handles both direct package specification and environment management in a unified manner.
  • Environment Consistency
    By using the Pipfile and Pipfile.lock, Pipenv ensures that all developers working on a project have a consistent set of dependencies, reducing 'it works on my machine' issues.
  • Dependency Resolution
    Pipenv uses an advanced dependency resolver, helping to avoid dependency conflicts that can occur with complex package requirements.

Possible disadvantages of pipenv

  • Performance Overhead
    The dependency resolution process can sometimes be slow, which might be noticeable in larger projects or when installing multiple packages at once.
  • Limited Flexibility
    Pipenv abstracts away some of pip and virtualenv’s flexibility, which might limit advanced configurations or setups required by more complex projects.
  • Complexity for Simple Projects
    May add unnecessary complexity for simple or small projects where virtualenv and pip would suffice without additional layers.
  • Slower Updates
    Pipenv may lag behind updates compared to pip and virtualenv due to its additional integration layer, meaning it might not always provide immediate support for the latest Python packaging developments.
  • Learning Curve
    Requires initial learning and adjustment for developers who are accustomed to using pip and virtualenv separately, potentially slowing down onboarding for new team members.

Python Package Index features and specs

  • Extensive Library Collection
    PyPI hosts a comprehensive collection of Python libraries and packages, enabling developers to find tools and modules for almost any task, from data analysis to web development.
  • Ease of Use
    The PyPI interface is user-friendly, and installation of packages can be quickly done using pip, Python's package installer. This makes it easy for both beginners and advanced users to manage dependencies.
  • Community Support
    Many PyPI packages are well-documented and supported by a large community of developers, which provides reassurance and assistance through forums, tutorials, and user contributions.
  • Regular Updates
    Packages on PyPI are frequently updated by maintainers to include new features, improvements, and security patches, ensuring that developers have access to the latest and most secure versions.
  • Open Source
    PyPI primarily hosts open-source packages, promoting transparency, collaboration, and the ability to modify packages to better suit individual needs.

Possible disadvantages of Python Package Index

  • Quality Assurance
    Not all packages on PyPI are of high quality or well-maintained. Some may have bugs, lack proper documentation, or not adhere to best practices, requiring users to vet packages carefully.
  • Security Risks
    There is a risk of downloading malicious packages since PyPI allows anyone to upload packages. Users need to be cautious and verify the credibility of the package authors and sources.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies can become complex, especially for large projects, as conflicts between package versions can arise, leading to potential runtime issues.
  • Overhead
    For smaller projects or those with specific needs, the sheer number of available packages can be overwhelming, making it difficult to find the most suitable one without investing a significant amount of time.
  • Legacy Packages
    Some packages on PyPI may no longer be maintained or updated, which can represent a risk if they become incompatible with newer versions of Python or other dependencies.

pipenv videos

Pipenv Crash Course

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to use Pipenv to Manage Python Dependencies (Tutorial)
  • Review - venv, pyenv, pypi, pip, pipenv, pyWTF?

Python Package Index videos

Python Django - Create and deploy packages to PyPI - Python Package Index

More videos:

  • Review - PIP and the Python Package Index - Open Source Language, Package Installer, Programming Python

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to pipenv and Python Package Index)
Front End Package Manager
Translation Service
0 0%
100% 100
Package Manager
38 38%
62% 62
Developer Tools
36 36%
64% 64

User comments

Share your experience with using pipenv and Python Package Index. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Python Package Index seems to be a lot more popular than pipenv. While we know about 83 links to Python Package Index, we've tracked only 6 mentions of pipenv. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

pipenv mentions (6)

  • Generate pip requirements.txt file based on imports of any project
    https://github.com/pypa/pipenv Pipenv was last updated 10 hours ago. Looks like it's still an active project to me. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • Adding Virtual Environments to Git Repo
    Pipenv solves this by having both kinds of requirement files: Pipfile lists package names and known constraints on which versions can be used, while Pipfile.lock gives specific package versions with hashes. Theoretically the Pipfile (and its lockfile) format were supposed to be a standard that many different tools could use, but I haven't seen it get adopted much outside of pipenv itself, so I'm not sure if it's... Source: about 2 years ago
  • Top 10 Python security best practices
    Alternatively, you can look into Pipenv, which has a lot more tools to develop secure applications with. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Why and how to use conda?
    I’m partial to pipenv but it does depend on pyenv (which works on Windows albeit via WSL, no?). Source: about 3 years ago
  • How to make a Python package in 2021
    I think I went through the same progression — thinking pipenv was the official solution before deciding it isn’t. To add to the confusion, I just realized that pipenv [1] is currently owned by the Python Packaging Authority (PyPA) which also owns the official pip [2] and virtualenv [3]. [1]: https://github.com/pypa/pipenv [2]: https://github.com/pypa/pip [3]: https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv. - Source: Hacker News / about 4 years ago
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Python Package Index mentions (83)

  • Solving SSL Certificate Verification Issues with pip on macOS
    # Check if Python can connect to pypi.org Python -c "import urllib.request; urllib.request.urlopen('https://pypi.org')" # Test where Python is looking for certificates Python -c "import ssl; print(ssl.get_default_verify_paths())" # Check pip configuration Pip config debug. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • What I wish I knew about Python when I started
    But let me back up and start from the perspective of a total Python beginner, as that is who this post is intended for. In Python, there are a lot of built-in libraries available to you via the Python Standard Library. This includes packages like datetime which allows you to manipulate dates and times, or like smtplib which allows you to send emails, or like argparse which helps aid development of command line... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Python Project Setup With uv – Virtual Environments and Package Management
    Virtual Environments are isolated Python environments that have their own site-packages. Basically, it means that each virtual environment has its own set of dependencies to third-party packages usually installed from PyPI. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Getting Started With Pipenv
    Where can I find packages available for me to use in my project? At https://pypi.org/ of course! - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Create a python package and publish.
    To upload your package to PyPI, you need to create an account on PyPI. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing pipenv and Python Package Index, you can also consider the following products

Python Poetry - Python packaging and dependency manager.

pip - The PyPA recommended tool for installing Python packages.

Conda - Binary package manager with support for environments.

envd - Machine learning development environment for data science and AI/ML engineering teams.

Lobe - Visual tool for building custom deep learning models

Anaconda - Anaconda is the leading open data science platform powered by Python.