pip Cheat Sheet — Install, Manage, and Freeze Python Packages

pip install requests                  # Latest version
pip install requests==2.31.0          # Exact version
pip install "requests>=2.28,<3.0"     # Version range
pip install requests flask pandas     # Multiple packages
pip install -r requirements.txt       # From requirements file
pip install -e .                      # Install current project in editable mode
pip install --upgrade requests        # Upgrade to latest
pip install --user requests           # Install for current user only

pip uninstall requests
pip uninstall -y requests flask    # Skip confirmation

pip list                    # All installed packages
pip list --outdated         # Packages with newer versions
pip show requests           # Package details (version, location, deps)
pip freeze                  # All packages in requirements.txt format
pip freeze > requirements.txt  # Save to file

pip check                   # Verify all dependencies are satisfied
pip cache purge             # Clear download cache
pip config list             # Show pip configuration

Note: pip search is disabled on PyPI. Use pypi.org to search for packages.

Always use a virtual environment. Never install packages globally.

# Create
python -m venv .venv

# Activate
source .venv/bin/activate        # macOS/Linux
.venv\Scripts\activate           # Windows

# Now pip installs into .venv/
pip install requests

# Deactivate
deactivate

# Add to .gitignore
echo ".venv/" >> .gitignore

# Save current packages
pip freeze > requirements.txt

# Install from file (on another machine or in CI)
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Typical requirements.txt
requests==2.31.0
flask==3.0.0
python-dotenv==1.0.0