Blog post: deepency management tools in Python overview

[SamEdwardes]

Posit write up

The Python version and dependency management can be challenging.

Figure from https://xkcd.com/1987/

There is a rich ecosystem of competing tools. The plethora of options is good for innovation but can also make it challenging to decide which tools you should use. When starting any new python project, you must consider:

1. What version of Python will I use (Python version management)?
2. What third-party dependencies will I use (Python dependency management)?

In the following sections, we will dive into these questions and discuss the available tools.

State of python management ecosystem as of 2022

python version management

• pyenv - "simple python version management"
• conda - "package, dependency and environment management for any language—Python, R, Ruby, Lua, Scala, Java, JavaScript, C/ C++, Fortran, and more"

python dependency management

• pyenv-virtualenv - "a pyenv plugin to manage virtualenv (a.k.a. python-virtualenv)"
• venv - standard library module for creation of virtual environments
• poetry - "python dependency management and packaging made easy"
• pipenv - "python development workflow for humans"
• pip-tools - "A set of tools to keep your pinned Python dependencies fresh."

Note this list is not exhaustive. It will capture the most relevant and popular approaches as of 2022.

Helpful resources

Want to learn more? Keep on reading these docs and check out the valuable resources below:

• Modern Python Developers Toolkit by Sebastian Witowski
• PyCon US 2022 - Talk - Calvin Hendryx-Parker: Bootstrapping Your Local Python Environment