Getting started

This tutorial covers the core pipx workflow: install an application, run it, upgrade it, and remove it. Work through it top to bottom with one small package, and you will know the commands you need day to day.

Note

Install pipx first. See Install pipx.

Packages and apps

pipx installs packages and exposes their apps. A package is what you download from PyPI, such as pycowsay or httpie. An app is a command that package puts on your PATH through a console script entry point. One package can expose several apps: httpie gives you http, httpie, and https. For the full picture, see How pipx works.

The lifecycle

        flowchart LR
    INSTALL["pipx install"] --> LIST["pipx list"]
    LIST --> RUN["run the app"]
    RUN --> UPGRADE["pipx upgrade"]
    UPGRADE --> UNINSTALL["pipx uninstall"]

    classDef step fill:#2a9d8f,stroke:#1f7268,color:#fff;
    class INSTALL,LIST,RUN,UPGRADE,UNINSTALL step;

Install your first app

Pick a small package to try. pycowsay works well:

$ pipx install pycowsay
  installed package pycowsay 0.0.0.2, installed using Python 3.12.3
  These apps are now available
    - pycowsay
  These manual pages are now available
    - man6/pycowsay.6
done! ✨ 🌟 ✨

pipx creates an isolated virtual environment for pycowsay, installs it there, and links the pycowsay command into a directory on your PATH, without sudo.

Confirm it worked

Run the app from any directory:

$ pycowsay moo
  ---
< moo >
  ---
   \   ^__^
    \  (oo)\_______
       (__)\       )\/\
           ||----w |
           ||     ||

If you see the cow, pipx is working.

Tip

pycowsay: command not found? pipx installed the app but its directory is not on your PATH yet. Run pipx ensurepath, then open a new terminal. See Install pipx and Troubleshoot if it persists.

List installed apps

$ pipx list
venvs are in /home/user/.local/share/pipx/venvs
apps are exposed on your $PATH at /home/user/.local/bin
manual pages are exposed at /home/user/.local/share/man
shell completions are exposed at /home/user/.local/share
   package pycowsay 0.0.0.2, installed using Python 3.12.3
    - pycowsay
    - man6/pycowsay.6

The output shows each virtual environment’s location, the apps it exposes, and the Python version it uses.

Run an app without installing

pipx run executes an app from a cached temporary environment without installing it:

$ pipx run pycowsay moo

Reach for this when you want to try a tool once. The Running applications tutorial covers it in depth.

Upgrade an app

Upgrade a single app to its latest release:

$ pipx upgrade pycowsay

Or upgrade everything at once:

$ pipx upgrade-all

Tip

See what has an update before upgrading with pipx list --outdated. The output lists each package’s installed and available versions.

Uninstall an app

$ pipx uninstall pycowsay

pipx deletes the isolated environment and removes the command from your PATH, leaving nothing behind.

Next steps

Tip

Scripting pipx? Most commands accept --output json. See JSON output.