Installing Python packages with pip

Here are the basics you need to know about installing Python packages.

Apart from the built-in modules that come by default with the Python installation (the Standard Library), you need to install third-packages packages to be able to use them in your code (and of course import them).

You do so with a package manager. Perhaps the most widely known is pip, but there are other options like poetry or uv.

You can check more information about Python packages at pypi.org

Here's a quick list of common use cases:

➡ pip install pandas # installs the package and its dependencies

➡ pip uninstall pandas # removes the package

➡ pip install --upgrade pandas # upgrades a package

➡ pip list # lists installed packages

➡ pip freeze > requirements.txt # saves the list of installed packages to a file so you can recreate the environment with the same packages next time you need it

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