How to Install Python Pip on Ubuntu Linux

How to install Python Pip on Ubuntu Linux

As described above, Pip is a Python package manager for installing, maintaining, and upgrading Python packages. It searches, downloads, and installs packages from the Python package index and other indexes.

Below is how to install it on Ubuntu Linux.

Install Pip for Python 3

You can install Pip for Python 3 on Ubuntu by running two commands: first, update your software list, then install the python3-pip package. This process sets up Pip so you can easily add and manage Python 3 packages on your Ubuntu computer.

The commands below install PiP to be used with Python version 3.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3-pip

When you run the commands above, all dependencies required for PiP to function will be installed alongside PiP.

To validate whether PiP is installed, simply run the commands below:

pip3 --version

You should see a similar line below:

Output:
pip 20.0.2 from /usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pip (python 3.8)

That’s how to get PiP installed for use with Python 3.

Install Pip for Python 2

To install Pip for Python 2 on Ubuntu, first enable the ‘universe’ software source. Then, use the standard update and install commands to get the python-pip package. This makes Pip available for managing packages with older Python 2 projects on your Ubuntu system.

Pip, the package installer for Python, does not come pre-installed on Ubuntu. You must run the command `sudo apt install python3-pip` to install Pip on your system. Installing Pip allows you to easily add and manage Python software packages.

sudo add-apt-repository universe
sudo apt update
sudo apt install python-pip

curl https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py --output get-pip.py
sudo python2 get-pip.py

The script will also install Pip, setup tools, and a wheel.

Installing Packages with PiP

After installing Pip on Ubuntu, you add new Python packages using the command ‘pip install’ followed by the package name. If you need help, you can type ‘pip3 –help’ or ‘pip install –help’ to see all the commands and options Pip offers for managing packages.

If you don’t know how to use PiP, simply run its help command to display helpful command options and how to use them.

pip3 --help
pip install --help

You should see helpful commands and how to use them, as shown below

Usage:   
  pip  [options]

Commands:
  install                     Install packages.
  download                    Download packages.
  uninstall                   Uninstall packages.
  freeze                      Output installed packages in requirements format.
  list                        List installed packages.
  show                        Show information about installed packages.
  check                       Verify installed packages have compatible

After each project is done, it can be discarded easily.

You want to create a Pip virtual environment within your home folder or directory for this post. Creating a virtual environment isolates Python packages for a specific project, preventing conflicts between different project requirements on your Ubuntu system.

Simply run the command below to create a Python 3 virtual environment called confidential.

First, install the Python virtual environment module by running the commands below:

sudo apt install python3-venv

Then, create a new environment called confidential

python3 -m venv ~/confidential

Simply activate the environment by running the commands below:

source ~/confidential/bin/activate

Within this specific environment, you can begin installing packages via PiP to use Python 3.

For example, to install a Python package called python-openstackclient, simply run the commands below:

Example:

pip3 install python-openstackclient

That should install the python-OpenStack client package to use with Python 3.

To upgrade packages via PiP, simply run the commands below:

pip3 install --upgrade python-openstackclient

To uninstall packages via PiP, simply run the commands below:

pip3 uninstall python-openstackclient

When you finish the Python project, simply run the deactivate command to return to your standard shell.

deactivate

That’s it!

Conclusion:

Installing PiP on Ubuntu 18.04 or Ubuntu 16.04 allows you to install and manage Python packages. PiP is a tool that helps you add and remove Python software. If you encounter any errors during installation, please report them in the comment form below.