Understanding Python PIP: The Essential Package Manager

PIP is the standard package manager for Python, included by default in Python 3.4 and later. Discover what PIP is, learn about Python packages, and find out how to verify if PIP is installed on your system. This guide covers the essentials of managing Python modules efficiently.

Python PIP

What is PIP?

PIP is a package manager for Python packages, or modules if you like.

If you have Python version 3.4 or later, PIP is included by default.

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.

Check if PIP is Installed

To check if PIP is installed, navigate your command line to the location of Python's script directory and type:

Example: Check PIP version


C:\Users\ThisPC\Python\packages>pip --version

Install PIP

If PIP is not installed, download and install it from https://pypi.org/project/pip/.

Download a Package

Downloading a package using PIP is straightforward:

Example:Download a package named "camelcase":


C:\Users\ThisPC\Python\packages>pip install camelcase

Using a Package

Once installed, import and use the package in your Python project:

Example: Import and use "camelcase"


import camelcase

c = camelcase.CamelCase()

txt = "i love python"

print(c.hump(txt))

#This method capitalizes the first letter of each word.

Output


I Love Python

Find Packages

Discover more Python packages at https://pypi.org/.

Remove a Package

To uninstall a package, use the following command:

Example: Uninstall the package named "camelcase"


C:\Users\ThisPC\Python\packages>pip uninstall camelcase

The PIP Package Manager will ask for confirmation if camelcase package should be removed:

Uninstalling camelcase-02.1:
  Would remove:
    c:\users\ThisPC\appdata\local\programs\python\python36-32\lib\site-packages\camelcase-0.2-py3.6.egg-info
    c:\users\ThisPC\appdata\local\programs\python\python36-32\lib\site-packages\camelcase\*
Proceed (y/n)?

  

Press y and the package will be removed.

List Packages

To list all installed packages, run:

Example: List installed packages

C:\Users\ThisPC\Python\packages>pip list

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