Installing Pipenv¶

This guide provides comprehensive instructions for installing Pipenv on various platforms and environments. Follow the approach that best suits your system and requirements.

Prerequisites¶

Before installing Pipenv, ensure you have Python and pip available on your system.

Verifying Python Installation¶

Check that Python is installed and available from your command line:

$ python --version
Python 3.10.4

You should see output showing your Python version. If you don’t have Python installed, download and install the latest version from python.org.

Verifying pip Installation¶

Ensure pip is available:

$ pip --version
pip 22.1.2

If pip is not installed, you can install it following the pip installation guide.

Installation Methods¶

Recommended: User Installation¶

The recommended approach is to install Pipenv for your user account. This avoids permission issues and prevents conflicts with system packages:

$ pip install --user pipenv

This installs Pipenv in your user site-packages directory.

Adding Pipenv to PATH¶

After installing with --user, you may need to add the user site-packages binary directory to your PATH.

On Linux and macOS¶

Find the user base binary directory:

$ python -m site --user-base
/home/username/.local

Add the bin directory to your PATH by adding this line to your shell configuration file (e.g., ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or ~/.profile):

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Then reload your shell configuration:

$ source ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc, ~/.profile, etc.

On Windows¶

Find the user site-packages directory:

> python -m site --user-site
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python310\site-packages

Replace site-packages with Scripts in the path, and add it to your PATH environment variable:

Press Win + X and select “System”
Click “Advanced system settings”
Click “Environment Variables”
Under “User variables”, select “Path” and click “Edit”
Add the path (e.g., C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python310\Scripts)
Click “OK” to save changes

You may need to restart your terminal or computer for the PATH changes to take effect.

Alternative: System-Wide Installation¶

If you have administrator privileges and want to install Pipenv system-wide:

# On Linux/macOS
$ sudo pip install pipenv

# On Windows (in an Administrator command prompt)
> pip install pipenv

Warning

System-wide installation is not recommended for most users as it can lead to conflicts with your system package manager.

Using Package Managers¶

macOS with Homebrew¶

$ brew install pipenv

Note

Homebrew installation is discouraged because it works better to install pipenv using pip on macOS.

Debian/Ubuntu¶

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install pipenv

Fedora¶

$ sudo dnf install pipenv

FreeBSD¶

$ pkg install py39-pipenv

Gentoo¶

$ sudo emerge pipenv

Void Linux¶

$ sudo xbps-install -S python3-pipenv

Using pipx¶

pipx is a tool to install and run Python applications in isolated environments:

# Install pipx
$ pip install --user pipx
$ python -m pipx ensurepath

# Install Pipenv using pipx
$ pipx install pipenv

This is a good alternative to the --user installation method, especially if you use multiple Python command-line tools.

Using Python Module¶

You can also run Pipenv as a Python module:

$ python -m pip install pipenv
$ python -m pipenv

This approach is useful when you have multiple Python versions installed and want to ensure you’re using a specific one.

Verifying Installation¶

After installation, verify that Pipenv is working correctly:

$ pipenv --version
pipenv, version 2022.5.2

If you see the version number, Pipenv is installed correctly.

Upgrading Pipenv¶

To upgrade an existing Pipenv installation:

# User installation
$ pip install --user --upgrade pipenv

# System-wide installation
$ sudo pip install --upgrade pipenv

# Homebrew
$ brew upgrade pipenv

# pipx
$ pipx upgrade pipenv

Installing Specific Versions¶

If you need a specific version of Pipenv:

$ pip install --user pipenv==2022.1.8

Installation in Virtual Environments¶

You can install Pipenv inside a virtual environment, although this is less common:

$ python -m venv pipenv-venv
$ source pipenv-venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: pipenv-venv\Scripts\activate
(pipenv-venv) $ pip install pipenv

Docker Installation¶

For Docker environments, you can install Pipenv in your Dockerfile:

FROM python:3.10-slim

# Install pipenv
RUN pip install pipenv

# Set working directory
WORKDIR /app

# Copy Pipfile and Pipfile.lock
COPY Pipfile Pipfile.lock ./

# Install dependencies
RUN pipenv install --system --deploy

# Copy application code
COPY . .

# Run the application
CMD ["python", "app.py"]

CI/CD Installation¶

For continuous integration environments:

# GitHub Actions example
name: Python CI

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    - name: Set up Python
      uses: actions/setup-python@v4
      with:
        python-version: '3.10'
    - name: Install pipenv
      run: |
        python -m pip install --upgrade pip
        pip install pipenv
    - name: Install dependencies
      run: |
        pipenv install --dev
    - name: Run tests
      run: |
        pipenv run pytest

Troubleshooting¶

Command Not Found¶

If you get a “command not found” error after installation:

Check if Pipenv is installed in your user site-packages:
```
$ python -m pipenv --version
```
If that works, add the user site-packages bin directory to your PATH as described above.
Try restarting your terminal or computer.

Permission Errors¶

If you encounter permission errors during installation:

Use the --user flag to install in your home directory:
```
$ pip install --user pipenv
```
If using sudo, ensure you’re using it correctly:
```
$ sudo pip install pipenv
```
Check file permissions in your installation directories.

Python Version Compatibility¶

Pipenv requires Python 3.7 or newer. If you’re using an older version, you’ll need to upgrade Python first.

pip Not Found¶

If pip is not found:

Install pip:

# Download get-pip.py
$ curl https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py -o get-pip.py

# Install pip
$ python get-pip.py --user

Ensure pip is in your PATH.

Best Practices¶

Use user installation (--user) to avoid permission issues and system conflicts.
Keep Pipenv updated to benefit from the latest features and bug fixes.
Consider pipx for a cleaner, isolated installation if you use multiple Python command-line tools.
Add Pipenv to your project’s development setup instructions to ensure all developers use the same environment.
Use version control for your Pipfile and Pipfile.lock to ensure consistent environments across your team.

Next Steps¶

Now that you have Pipenv installed, you can:

Create a new project: pipenv --python 3.10
Install packages: pipenv install requests
Activate the environment: pipenv shell
Run commands: pipenv run python script.py

For more detailed usage instructions, see the Quick Start Guide and Commands Reference.