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:mod:`ensurepip` --- Bootstrapping the ``pip`` installer
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========================================================
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:synopsis: Bootstrapping the "pip" installer into an existing Python
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installation or virtual environment.
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The :mod:`ensurepip` package provides support for bootstrapping the ``pip``
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installer into an existing Python installation or virtual environment. This
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bootstrapping approach reflects the fact that ``pip`` is an independent
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project with its own release cycle, and the latest available stable version
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is bundled with maintenance and feature releases of the CPython reference
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In most cases, end users of Python shouldn't need to invoke this module
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directly (as ``pip`` should be bootstrapped by default), but it may be
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needed if installing ``pip`` was skipped when installing Python (or
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when creating a virtual environment) or after explicitly uninstalling
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This module *does not* access the internet. All of the components
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needed to bootstrap ``pip`` are included as internal parts of the
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:ref:`installing-index`
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The end user guide for installing Python packages
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:pep:`453`: Explicit bootstrapping of pip in Python installations
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The original rationale and specification for this module.
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Command line interface
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----------------------
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The command line interface is invoked using the interpreter's ``-m`` switch.
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The simplest possible invocation is::
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This invocation will install ``pip`` if it is not already installed,
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but otherwise does nothing. To ensure the installed version of ``pip``
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is at least as recent as the one bundled with ``ensurepip``, pass the
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``--upgrade`` option::
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python -m ensurepip --upgrade
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By default, ``pip`` is installed into the current virtual environment
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(if one is active) or into the system site packages (if there is no
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active virtual environment). The installation location can be controlled
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through two additional command line options:
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* ``--root <dir>``: Installs ``pip`` relative to the given root directory
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rather than the root of the currently active virtual environment (if any)
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or the default root for the current Python installation.
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* ``--user``: Installs ``pip`` into the user site packages directory rather
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than globally for the current Python installation (this option is not
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permitted inside an active virtual environment).
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By default, the scripts ``pipX`` and ``pipX.Y`` will be installed (where
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X.Y stands for the version of Python used to invoke ``ensurepip``). The
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scripts installed can be controlled through two additional command line
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* ``--altinstall``: if an alternate installation is requested, the ``pipX``
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script will *not* be installed.
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* ``--default-pip``: if a "default pip" installation is requested, the
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``pip`` script will be installed in addition to the two regular scripts.
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Providing both of the script selection options will trigger an exception.
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:mod:`ensurepip` exposes two functions for programmatic use:
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.. function:: version()
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Returns a string specifying the bundled version of pip that will be
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installed when bootstrapping an environment.
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.. function:: bootstrap(root=None, upgrade=False, user=False, \
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altinstall=False, default_pip=False, \
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Bootstraps ``pip`` into the current or designated environment.
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*root* specifies an alternative root directory to install relative to.
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If *root* is None, then installation uses the default install location
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for the current environment.
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*upgrade* indicates whether or not to upgrade an existing installation
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of an earlier version of ``pip`` to the bundled version.
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*user* indicates whether to use the user scheme rather than installing
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By default, the scripts ``pipX`` and ``pipX.Y`` will be installed (where
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X.Y stands for the current version of Python).
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If *altinstall* is set, then ``pipX`` will *not* be installed.
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If *default_pip* is set, then ``pip`` will be installed in addition to
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the two regular scripts.
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Setting both *altinstall* and *default_pip* will trigger
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*verbosity* controls the level of output to :data:`sys.stdout` from the
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bootstrapping operation.
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The bootstrapping process has side effects on both ``sys.path`` and
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``os.environ``. Invoking the command line interface in a subprocess
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instead allows these side effects to be avoided.
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The bootstrapping process may install additional modules required by
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``pip``, but other software should not assume those dependencies will
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always be present by default (as the dependencies may be removed in a
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future version of ``pip``).