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Installing Packages Using pip

Installing Packages Using pip

A guide on how to install Python packages using pip, the Python package manager.

Author: Ayush Jain | Date: 2023-08-01

What is a Package?

A package contains all the files you need for a module. Modules are Python code libraries you can include in your project.

Installing a package

If you’re using Windows, you’ll be able to install a Python package by opening the Windows Command Prompt, and then typing this command:

pip install package_name

Uninstalling a package

To uninstall a package using PIP, simply type the following command in the Command Prompt :

pip uninstall package_name

Generating a requirements.txt file

pip freeze is used to generate a list of all the installed Python packages and their versions in the current environment which can used when you want to create a requirements.txt file, which lists all the dependencies of your project, including their specific versions.

Usage:

pip freeze > requirements.txt

List Packages

pip list is used to display all packages installed. It does not output the packages in the format required for a requirements.txt file. Instead, it simply displays a more human-readable list of installed packages with their version numbers.

Usage: 

pip list

*Result - 

Package         Version
-----------------------
camelcase       0.2
mysql-connector 2.1.6
pip             18.1
pymongo         3.6.1
setuptools      39.0.1

pip freeze vs pip list

The main difference between pip freeze and pip list is in the output format. pip freeze outputs the package names and versions in a format that can be directly used to recreate the environment, while pip list provides a more user-friendly display of installed packages without the version information explicitly formatted for a requirements.txt file.

*Result may vary depending on the packages installed on your system.