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href="#svg-sun-with-moon"></use></svg> <svg class="theme-icon-when-auto-dark"><use href="#svg-moon-with-sun"></use></svg> <svg class="theme-icon-when-dark"><use href="#svg-moon"></use></svg> <svg class="theme-icon-when-light"><use href="#svg-sun"></use></svg> </button> </div> <label class="toc-overlay-icon toc-content-icon no-toc" for="__toc"> <div class="visually-hidden">Toggle table of contents sidebar</div> <i class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-toc"></use></svg></i> </label> </div> <article role="main" id="furo-main-content"> <section id="pip-vs-easy-install"> <span id="id1"></span><h1>pip vs easy_install<a class="headerlink" href="#pip-vs-easy-install" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h1> <p><a class="reference internal" href="../../key_projects/#easy-install"><span class="std std-ref">easy_install</span></a>, now <a class="reference external" href="https://setuptools.readthedocs.io/en/latest/history.html#v42-0-0">deprecated</a>, was released in 2004 as part of <a class="reference internal" href="../../key_projects/#setuptools"><span class="std std-ref">Setuptools</span></a>. It was notable at the time for installing <a class="reference internal" href="../../glossary/#term-Distribution-Package"><span class="xref std std-term">packages</span></a> from <a class="reference internal" href="../../glossary/#term-Python-Package-Index-PyPI"><span class="xref std std-term">PyPI</span></a> using requirement specifiers, and automatically installing dependencies.</p> <p><a class="reference internal" href="../../key_projects/#pip"><span class="std std-ref">pip</span></a> came later in 2008, as alternative to <a class="reference internal" href="../../key_projects/#easy-install"><span class="std std-ref">easy_install</span></a>, although still largely built on top of <a class="reference internal" href="../../key_projects/#setuptools"><span class="std std-ref">Setuptools</span></a> components. It was notable at the time for <em>not</em> installing packages as <a class="reference internal" href="../../glossary/#term-Egg"><span class="xref std std-term">Eggs</span></a> or from <a class="reference internal" href="../../glossary/#term-Egg"><span class="xref std std-term">Eggs</span></a> (but rather simply as ‘flat’ packages from <a class="reference internal" href="../../glossary/#term-Source-Distribution-or-sdist"><span class="xref std std-term">sdists</span></a>), and introducing the idea of <a class="reference external" href="https://pip.pypa.io/en/latest/user_guide/#requirements-files" title="(in pip v25.1)"><span class="xref std std-ref">Requirements Files</span></a>, which gave users the power to easily replicate environments.</p> <p>Here’s a breakdown of the important differences between pip and the deprecated easy_install:</p> <div class="table-wrapper docutils container"> <table class="docutils align-default"> <tbody> <tr class="row-odd"><td></td> <td><p><strong>pip</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong>easy_install</strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="row-even"><td><p>Installs from <a class="reference internal" href="../../glossary/#term-Wheel"><span class="xref std std-term">Wheels</span></a></p></td> <td><p>Yes</p></td> <td><p>No</p></td> </tr> <tr class="row-odd"><td><p>Uninstall Packages</p></td> <td><p>Yes (<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">python</span> <span class="pre">-m</span> <span class="pre">pip</span> <span class="pre">uninstall</span></code>)</p></td> <td><p>No</p></td> </tr> <tr class="row-even"><td><p>Dependency Overrides</p></td> <td><p>Yes (<a class="reference external" href="https://pip.pypa.io/en/latest/user_guide/#requirements-files" title="(in pip v25.1)"><span class="xref std std-ref">Requirements Files</span></a>)</p></td> <td><p>No</p></td> </tr> <tr class="row-odd"><td><p>List Installed Packages</p></td> <td><p>Yes (<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">python</span> <span class="pre">-m</span> <span class="pre">pip</span> <span class="pre">list</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">python</span> <span class="pre">-m</span> <span class="pre">pip</span> <span class="pre">freeze</span></code>)</p></td> <td><p>No</p></td> </tr> <tr class="row-even"><td><p><span class="target" id="index-0"></span><a class="pep reference external" href="https://peps.python.org/pep-0438/"><strong>PEP 438</strong></a> Support</p></td> <td><p>Yes</p></td> <td><p>No</p></td> </tr> <tr class="row-odd"><td><p>Installation format</p></td> <td><p>‘Flat’ packages with <code class="file docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">egg-info</span></code> metadata.</p></td> <td><p>Encapsulated Egg format</p></td> </tr> <tr class="row-even"><td><p>sys.path modification</p></td> <td><p>No</p></td> <td><p>Yes</p></td> </tr> <tr class="row-odd"><td><p>Installs from <a class="reference internal" href="../../glossary/#term-Egg"><span class="xref std std-term">Eggs</span></a></p></td> <td><p>No</p></td> <td><p>Yes</p></td> </tr> <tr class="row-even"><td><p><a class="reference external" href="https://bitbucket.org/vinay.sajip/pylauncher">pylauncher support</a></p></td> <td><p>No</p></td> <td><p>Yes <a class="footnote-reference brackets" href="#id3" id="id2" role="doc-noteref"><span class="fn-bracket">[</span>1<span class="fn-bracket">]</span></a></p></td> </tr> <tr class="row-odd"><td><p><a class="reference internal" href="../../guides/multi-version-installs/#multi-version-installs"><span class="std std-ref">Multi-version installs</span></a></p></td> <td><p>No</p></td> <td><p>Yes</p></td> </tr> <tr class="row-even"><td><p>Exclude scripts during install</p></td> <td><p>No</p></td> <td><p>Yes</p></td> </tr> <tr class="row-odd"><td><p>per project index</p></td> <td><p>Only in virtualenv</p></td> <td><p>Yes, via setup.cfg</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> <hr class="docutils" /> <aside class="footnote-list brackets"> <aside class="footnote brackets" id="id3" role="doc-footnote"> <span class="label"><span class="fn-bracket">[</span><a role="doc-backlink" href="#id2">1</a><span class="fn-bracket">]</span></span> <p><a class="reference external" href="https://setuptools.readthedocs.io/en/latest/deprecated/easy_install.html#natural-script-launcher">https://setuptools.readthedocs.io/en/latest/deprecated/easy_install.html#natural-script-launcher</a></p> </aside> </aside> </section> </article> </div> <footer> <div class="related-pages"> <a class="next-page" href="../install-requires-vs-requirements/"> <div class="page-info"> <div class="context"> <span>Next</span> </div> <div class="title">install_requires vs requirements files</div> </div> <svg class="furo-related-icon"><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg> </a> <a class="prev-page" href="../deploying-python-applications/"> <svg class="furo-related-icon"><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg> <div 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