virtualenv

virtualenv is a tool to create isolated Python environments. Since Python 3.3, a subset of it has been integrated into the standard library under the venv module. For how virtualenv compares to the stdlib venv module, see Explanation.

Quick navigation

Tutorials - Learn by doing

• Getting started — Create your first virtual environment and learn the basic workflow

How-to guides - Solve specific problems

• Install virtualenv — Install virtualenv on your system

• Use virtualenv — Select Python versions, activate environments, configure defaults, and use from Python code

• Verify a virtualenv release — Check that a downloaded release came from the virtualenv release workflow

Reference - Technical information

• Compatibility — Supported Python versions and operating systems

• Command line — Command line options and flags

• Environment layout — Names the interpreter answers to inside an environment

• Generated files — Files written inside and beside a created environment

• Python — Programmatic Python API reference

• Release artifacts — Files, attestations and SBOMs each release publishes

Explanation - Understand the concepts

• Explanation — How virtualenv works under the hood and why it exists

Extensions

• Plugins — Extend virtualenv with custom creators, seeders, and activators

Related projects

Several tools build on virtualenv to provide higher-level workflows:

• virtualenvwrapper — Shell wrapper for creating and managing multiple virtualenvs

• pew — Python Env Wrapper, a set of commands to manage multiple virtual environments

• tox — Automate testing across multiple Python versions

• nox — Flexible test automation in Python

External resources

Learn more about virtualenv from these community resources:

• Corey Schafer’s virtualenv tutorial — Video walkthrough for beginners

• Bernat Gabor’s status quo — Talk about the current state of Python packaging

• Carl Meyer’s reverse-engineering — Deep dive into how virtualenv works internally