uvpipx

uvpipx is a lightweight tool similar to pipx, using uv behind the scenes, offering enhanced speed and efficiency. It's designed to install and run Python applications in isolated environments, ensuring that your global Python setup remains clean and uncluttered.

🌟 Key Features

• 🚀 Fast and lightweight: Leverages uv for rapid installations
• 📦 Containerization-friendly: Ideal for containers and CI environments
• 🔗 Minimal dependencies: Only requires uv, reducing potential conflicts
• 🌐 Environment preservation: Keeps your global Python setup clean
• 🪟 Cross-platform: Supports Windows and Unix-based systems

🤔 Why use uvpipx?

uvpipx solves the common problem of installing Python applications without affecting your system-wide Python setup. It creates isolated environments for each application, allowing you to:

1. Isolation: Install CLI tools without dependency conflicts
2. Easy management: Add or remove applications without affecting others
3. Experimentation: Test different versions of the same tool safely
4. Speed: Significantly faster than traditional methods, especially in CI/CD pipelines

🚀 Getting Started

Installation

To get started with uvpipx, simply install it using pip:

pip install uvpipx

Basic Usage

Install a package

Use the install command to add a new package:

uvpipx install <package_name>

Example:

uvpipx install jc

This command creates a new virtual environment and installs the specified package along with its dependencies.

Check the path

After installation, ensure that the uvpipx bin directory is in your PATH:

uvpipx ensurepath

This command helps you set up your environment correctly to use installed applications.

Run the program directly

You can run the program directly from the command line:

echo "Hello World!" | wc  | jc --wc

Return:

[{"filename":null,"lines":1,"words":2,"characters":13}]

🛠️ Advanced Features

Inject a program during installation (since v0.6.0)

You can install additional programs alongside the main package:

uvpipx install <package_name> --inject <program_name>

Example:

uvpipx install jc --inject art

This feature is useful when you need complementary tools in the same environment.

List all installed packages

To see what you've installed with uvpipx:

uvpipx list

This provides an overview of all packages managed by uvpipx.

Uninstall a package

Remove a package and its isolated environment:

uvpipx uninstall <package_name>

This command completely removes the package and its dedicated environment.

Get information about a package

For details about an installed package:

uvpipx info <package_name>

To get the virtual environment path:

uvpipx info <package_name> --get-venv

This is useful for debugging or when you need to interact directly with the virtual environment.

Run a package in its virtual environment

By default programs are exposed (look below for more detail). So you can run them directly from the command line.

But you want advanced control or run side program not exposed by uvpipx. You can execute a command in a package's isolated environment:

uvpipx venv <package_name> -- <command>

Example:

wc README.md | uvpipx venv jc -- jc --wc 

This allows you to use the installed tools without activating the virtual environment manually.

Modify exposure rules

Exposure rules determine which programs from the venv are made available in your PATH:

• __main__: exposes all programs from the main package
• __eponym__: exposes only the program with the same name as the package
• __all__: exposes all programs in the venv (except python and pip)
• A list of specific program names

Change the exposure rule:

uvpipx expose <package_name> <rule>

Example:

uvpipx expose jc __main__

📖 Changes since v0.6.0

In previous versions, uvpipx exposed programs by default with the __all__ rule. Now, the default rule is __main__. This is a significant change but is more consistent with pipx behavior. To update all your existing venvs to the new rule:

uvpipx expose-all __main__

You can still install with the __all__ rule if desired:

uvpipx install <package_name> --expose __all__

These exposure options give you fine-grained control over which tools are accessible from each installed package.

🚀 Performance

uvpipx can significantly speed up container builds and CI processes. Here's a comparison of installation times for poetry:

Tool	Time	Total Time	Difference
Uvpipx	2.8 (uvpipx) + 1.1 (poetry)	3.9 seconds	reference
Pip	8.8	8.8 seconds	+4.9 seconds

As shown, uvpipx can offer significant time savings, especially in scenarios where multiple tools need to be installed quickly, such as in CI/CD pipelines or container builds.

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