PIP3(1)

📦
version 26.1.2 · 14 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💖 pip3(1) — the manual, but make it cute 💖

okay bestie, welcome to pip3(1), the page where we talk about pip3 — the package manager for Python packages. put your hair up, grab a strawberry 🍓, and let's get into it, because this one's actually so useful and I need you to know every single flag. no skips. periodt.

✨ NAME ✨

pip3 — package manager for Python packages 👑

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

pip3 <command> [options]

that's it. that's the shape of it. you give it a command, you give it options, it does the thing. slay.

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

pip3 is the PyPA recommended package manager for Python packages 💅

like, this is the girl. the officially recommended one. PyPA said so. it's giving main character energy for real.

✨ OPTIONS ✨

every single one, bestie, no crumbs left behind. and yes, they all have environment variables because pip loves a little env var moment 🫶

  • -h, --help — Show help. literally just tell me what I need to know 🙈
    • (environment variable: PIP_HELP)
  • --debug — Let unhandled exceptions propagate outside the main subroutine, instead of logging them to stderr. so instead of quietly writing the oopsie to stderr, it lets the exception run free 🌈
    • (environment variable: PIP_DEBUG)
  • --isolated — Run pip in an isolated mode, ignoring environment variables and user configuration. no outside opinions, no env vars, no user config — just vibes in a bubble 🫧
    • (environment variable: PIP_ISOLATED)
  • --require-virtualenv — Allow pip to only run in a virtual environment; exit with an error otherwise. if you're not in a venv, pip is leaving 💀
    • (environment variable: PIP_REQUIRE_VIRTUALENV, PIP_REQUIRE_VENV)
  • --python <python> — Run pip with the specified Python interpreter. you pick the interpreter, it uses that one ✨
    • (environment variable: PIP_PYTHON)
  • -v, --verbose — Give more output. Option is additive, and can be used up to 3 times. more yapping! stack it up to three times, bestie 🗣️
    • (environment variable: PIP_VERBOSE)
  • -V, --version — Show version and exit. tell me who you are then dip 👋
    • (environment variable: PIP_VERSION)
  • -q, --quiet — Give less output. Option is additive, and can be used up to 3 times (corresponding to WARNING, ERROR, and CRITICAL logging levels). shhh 🤫 and yes it stacks — three times gets you down to WARNING, ERROR, and CRITICAL.
    • (environment variable: PIP_QUIET)
  • --log <path> — Path to a verbose appending log. it appends, so it keeps growing, like my notes app 📝
    • (environment variable: PIP_LOG, PIP_LOG_FILE, PIP_LOCAL_LOG)
  • --no-input — Disable prompting for input. no questions, no pop quizzes, just go 🙅‍♀️
    • (environment variable: PIP_NO_INPUT)
  • --keyring-provider <keyring_provider> — Enable the credential lookup via the keyring library if user input is allowed. Specify which mechanism to use [auto, disabled, import, subprocess]. (default: auto)
    • (environment variable: PIP_KEYRING_PROVIDER)
  • --proxy <proxy> — Specify a proxy in the form scheme://[user:passwd@]proxy.server:port. 🚇
    • (environment variable: PIP_PROXY)
  • --retries <retries> — Maximum attempts to establish a new HTTP connection. (default: 5) five tries and then we're done ✋
    • (environment variable: PIP_RETRIES)
  • --timeout <sec> — Set the socket timeout (default 15 seconds). ⏰
    • (environment variable: PIP_TIMEOUT, PIP_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT)
  • --exists-action <action> — Default action when a path already exists: (s)witch, (i)gnore, (w)ipe, (b)ackup, (a)bort. you literally get to choose the drama 💅
    • (environment variable: PIP_EXISTS_ACTION)
  • --trusted-host <hostname> — Mark this host or host:port pair as trusted, even though it does not have valid or any HTTPS. 👀 trust is a choice and this flag is you making it.
    • (environment variable: PIP_TRUSTED_HOST)
  • --cert <path> — Path to PEM-encoded CA certificate bundle. If provided, overrides the default. See 'SSL Certificate Verification' in pip documentation for more information. 📜
    • (environment variable: PIP_CERT)
  • --client-cert <path> — Path to SSL client certificate, a single file containing the private key and the certificate in PEM format. one file, both things, iconic 🎀
    • (environment variable: PIP_CLIENT_CERT)
  • --cache-dir <dir> — Store the cache data in <dir>. 🗂️
    • (environment variable: PIP_CACHE_DIR)
  • --no-cache-dir — Disable the cache. no hoarding, we're minimal now 🧚
    • (environment variable: PIP_NO_CACHE_DIR)
  • --disable-pip-version-check — Don't periodically check PyPI to determine whether a new version of pip is available for download. Implied with --no-index. stop checking up on PyPI every so often, it's fine. and heads up: this one is implied with --no-index.
    • (environment variable: PIP_DISABLE_PIP_VERSION_CHECK)
  • --no-color — Suppress colored output. no rainbow 😔 (sad for us, honestly)
    • (environment variable: PIP_NO_COLOR)
  • --use-feature <feature> — Enable new functionality, that may be backward incompatible. new stuff! and yes, it might break old stuff, that's literally the warning. ⚠️
    • (environment variable: PIP_USE_FEATURE)
  • --use-deprecated <feature> — Enable deprecated functionality, that will be removed in the future. this is old stuff on its way out — use it now, lose it later 🪦
    • (environment variable: PIP_USE_DEPRECATED)
  • --resume-retries <resume_retries> — Maximum attempts to resume or restart an incomplete download. (default: 5) unfinished download? we try again, up to five times 🔁
    • (environment variable: PIP_RESUME_RETRIES)

👑 COMMANDS 👑

the whole squad. each one got its own little manual page and everything:

🫶 Author

pip developers — they did that, and we thank them fr fr.

The pip developers

and that's the whole page, bestie!! go install something iconic 💖✨

this was version 26.1, dated Jun 02, 2026 — so yeah, cute and current. bye pookie 🎀🦋

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