What is the most compatible way to install python modules on a Mac?

Installing Python Modules on Mac

Managing Python packages efficiently is important for developers; this can be challenging, especially while working on macOS. In this article, there will be a list of different options to install Python modules on a Mac from which you could choose one that is reliable and easy to use.

Some common ways to install Python modules in macOS are listed below -

• Using EasyInstall
• Using Pip
• Using Homebrew
• Using Virtual Environment

Using EasyInstall

The most popular way to manage Python packages (if you're not using your system package manager like homebrew) is to use setuptools and easy_install. It is probably already installed on your system. Use it like this -

easy_install django

easy_install uses the Python Package Index, which is an amazing resource for Python developers. Have a look around to see what packages are available.

Note ? EasyInstall is outdated and not very effective in comparison with other methods. It has been included for awareness purposes.

Using Pip

A better and more reliable way to install Python modules across platforms is to use pip. If you have Python 2 >=2.7.9 or Python 3 >=3.4 installed from python.org, you will already have pip and setuptools but will need to upgrade to the latest version -

pip install -U pip setuptools

If pip is not installed, you can easily set it up by following the below steps -

Step1: Download get-pip.py from https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py. Run python get-pip.py. This will install or upgrade pip. Now you can use pip to install Python packages. For example, to install the latest version of "SomeProject" -

$ pip install 'SomeProject'

Step 2: To install a specific version ?

$ pip install 'SomeProject==1.4'

Step 3: To install greater than or equal to one version and less than another ?

$ pip install 'SomeProject>=1,<2'

Using Homebrew

Homebrew is another popular package manager, especially for MacOS, as it simplifies the installation of various software. It can also be effectively used to install Python and associated modules.

If you don't have Homebrew installed, you can install it by running the command below ?

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)" 

Once you are done installing Homebrew, you have to install or upgrade Python by following this command -

brew install python  

This command will install the latest version of Python, along with pip. Once Python is installed, you can manage Python packages by using the following command -

brew install <package-name>   

Using Virtual Environments

If you do a lot of Python development on projects with various package requirements, venv is quite effective. It allows to manage various packages, and additionally allows you to switch between them easily.

To create the virtual environment, run the following command in your project's directory -

python3 -m venv .venv

To install or use packages efficiently, you have to activate the virtual environment. Use the below command to activate -

source .venv/bin/activate

With the virtual environment activated, you can now install packages using pip. For installing a specific package, you can run the following command -

pip install <package_name>