pip-tools is a free set of command-line tools for pinning pip-based dependencies and helping make builds predictable. Its two main commands are pip-compile and pip-sync. pip-compile creates requirements.txt files from pyproject.toml, setup.cfg, setup.py, or requirements.in, including project and optional dependencies declared in pyproject.toml. It can also generate hashes for pip hash-checking mode. pip-sync installs, upgrades, or removes packages to align a virtual environment with a compiled requirements.txt file. Defaults can be configured in .pip-tools.toml or pyproject.toml, and pip-compile can run as a pre-commit hook. The tools support Linux, macOS, and Windows, and require Python 3.9 or later. Compilation can produce different results across operating systems, Python versions, and implementations, so the project advises compiling separately for each target environment. The backtracking resolver is the default; the legacy resolver is deprecated. pip-tools is distributed under the BSD License and is classified for developers and system administrators.
Who it is for
It suits developers and system administrators managing pip-based dependencies in virtual environments. It is useful when teams want compiled requirements files and synchronized environments.
What is good
- Compiles requirements from several common project files.
- pip-sync aligns virtual environments with compiled requirements.
- Can generate hashes for pip hash-checking mode.
- Supports Linux, macOS, and Windows.
What to know first
- Requires Python 3.9 or later.
- Compilation results can vary across target environments.
- The legacy resolver is deprecated.
Verdict
pip-tools provides a focused workflow for compiling pinned dependencies and aligning an environment to them. Compile separately for each target environment because results may differ across operating systems and Python implementations.
pip-tools plans and pricing
All plansCompared on Python package managers
- Free plan
- Yes
- Lockfile support
- Yes
- Environment management
- No
- Dependency groups
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- cross-platform
