Thangavel PrasanthTP

pyenv - The Python Version Manager

1 min read

pyenv lets you install, manage, and switch between multiple versions of Python itself. For example, you can have Python 3.8, 3.9, and 3.10 all installed on the same machine without them interfering with each other.

  • Primary Goal: To select which version of Python your computer or a specific project folder should use (e.g., python --version could return 3.9.7 in one folder and 3.10.4 in another).
  • What it Manages: The Python interpreters installed on your system.
  • Use Case: You need to work on an old project that requires Python 3.7, but your new project needs Python 3.11. pyenv makes switching between them easy.

We can set the Python version:

  1. Globally: For your entire user account.
  2. Per-shell: For your current terminal session.
  3. Per-Project (most common): By placing a .python-version file in our project directory
# install Python 3.11 if it does not exist
pyenv install 3.11
 
# set Python 3.11 for the current project/directory
pyenv local 3.11

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