What is pip in Python

✅ What is pip?

pip is the default package manager for Python, used to install and manage external packages (libraries) that are not part of the Python standard library.

pip stands for “Pip Installs Packages”

It’s the default package manager for Python.

Used to install, upgrade, and remove Python packages from PyPI (Python Package Index).

📦 What Does pip Do?

• Downloads packages from PyPI (Python Package Index)
• Installs, updates, and uninstalls Python packages/libraries
• Handles dependencies of packages

🟢 Example Usage:

pip install requests

This command installs the requests library (used for HTTP requests).

🧱 2. Prerequisites

• Python version 3.4+ comes with pip by default.
• To check if installed:

pip --version python -m pip --version

📦 3. Installing Packages

Basic Syntax:

pip install package_name

Examples:

pip install requests
pip install numpy
pip install flask==2.3.3      # Specific version
pip install 'Django>=3.2,<4.0' # Version range

🔄 4. Upgrading & Downgrading Packages

pip install --upgrade package_name
pip install package_name==1.2.0  # Downgrade to specific version

🚮 5. Uninstalling Packages

pip uninstall package_name

📜 6. Requirements File (requirements.txt)

Create a file:

flask==2.3.3
requests>=2.25.1

Install from file:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Export installed packages:

pip freeze > requirements.txt

🧰 7. pip Commands Overview

🌍 8. Installing from Other Sources

From GitHub:

pip install git+https://github.com/psf/requests.git

From a .whl (wheel) file:

pip install package_name.whl

From a .tar.gz source file:

pip install package_name.tar.gz

⚙️ 9. Virtual Environments with pip

Create virtual env:

python -m venv env

Activate:

• Windows: env\Scripts\activate
• Linux/macOS: source env/bin/activate

Install packages inside venv:

pip install flask

🛠️ 10. Common Options

📁 11. pip Configuration

Location of config files:

• Unix: ~/.pip/pip.conf
• Windows: %APPDATA%\pip\pip.ini

Example config:

[global]
timeout = 60
index-url = https://pypi.org/simple

🧪 12. Advanced Usage

• Install multiple packages at once: pip install numpy pandas matplotlib
• Install editable package (for dev): bashCopyEditpip install -e .
• Upgrade all packages (script): pip list --outdated --format=freeze | grep -v '^\-e' | cut -d = -f 1 | xargs -n1 pip install -U
• Install with extras: pip install flask[async]

🛡️ 13. Troubleshooting

• Permission error:

pip install --user package_name

• SSL error:
  

Use: python -m pip install package_name

• pip not recognized:
  • Add Python and Scripts folder to PATH
  • Reinstall Python with pip option enabled

🏁 14. pipx (Advanced Tool)

Use pipx for installing CLI tools in isolated environments:

pip install pipx
pipx install black

✅ Advantages of pip:

🧠 Summary:

• pip makes Python development easier, faster, and more organized
• Essential tool for any Python developer