Pipenv Cheatsheet¶

Installation¶

Platform	Command
Ubuntu/Debian	`sudo apt install pipenv` or `pip install --user pipenv`
Fedora/RHEL	`sudo dnf install pipenv` or `pip install --user pipenv`
Arch Linux	`sudo pacman -S python-pipenv`
macOS	`brew install pipenv` or `pip install --user pipenv`
Windows	`pip install --user pipenv` or `choco install pipenv`
Verify Installation	`pipenv --version`

Post-Installation (if using --user):

# Linux/macOS - Add to PATH
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Basic Commands¶

Command	Description
`pipenv --three`	Create new project with Python 3
`pipenv --python 3.11`	Create project with specific Python version
`pipenv install`	Install all dependencies from Pipfile
`pipenv install requests`	Install a package and add to Pipfile
`pipenv install pytest --dev`	Install package as dev dependency
`pipenv install -r requirements.txt`	Install from requirements.txt file
`pipenv uninstall requests`	Remove a package
`pipenv uninstall --all`	Remove all packages
`pipenv shell`	Activate virtual environment
`exit`	Deactivate virtual environment (inside shell)
`pipenv run python script.py`	Run command without activating shell
`pipenv --venv`	Show virtualenv path
`pipenv --where`	Show project directory path
`pipenv --py`	Show Python interpreter path
`pipenv --rm`	Remove virtual environment
`pipenv lock`	Generate/update Pipfile.lock
`pipenv sync`	Install from Pipfile.lock (production)
`pipenv update`	Update all packages to latest versions
`pipenv list`	List installed packages
`pipenv graph`	Show dependency tree
`pipenv check`	Check for security vulnerabilities

Advanced Usage¶

Command	Description
`pipenv install "django>=4.0,<5.0"`	Install with version constraints
`pipenv install -e .`	Install local package in editable mode
`pipenv install -e git+https://github.com/user/repo.git#egg=pkg`	Install from Git repository
`pipenv install "requests[security]"`	Install package with extras
`pipenv install --skip-lock`	Install without updating lock file (faster)
`pipenv sync --dev`	Sync including dev dependencies
`pipenv clean`	Remove packages not in Pipfile.lock
`pipenv lock --clear`	Clear and regenerate lock file
`pipenv lock --pre`	Lock including pre-release versions
`pipenv update requests`	Update specific package only
`pipenv update --outdated`	Show outdated packages
`pipenv graph --reverse`	Show reverse dependency tree
`pipenv graph --json`	Output dependency graph as JSON
`pipenv check --verbose`	Detailed security vulnerability check
`pipenv requirements > requirements.txt`	Export to requirements.txt format
`pipenv requirements --dev`	Export dev requirements
`pipenv run start`	Run script defined in Pipfile
`PIPENV_VENV_IN_PROJECT=1 pipenv install`	Create .venv in project directory
`pipenv --python /usr/bin/python3.9`	Use specific Python executable
`pipenv lock --keep-outdated`	Lock without updating existing packages

Configuration¶

Pipfile Structure¶

[[source]]
url = "https://pypi.org/simple"
verify_ssl = true
name = "pypi"

[packages]
django = ">=4.0,<5.0"
requests = "~=2.28.0"
psycopg2-binary = "*"
celery = {extras = ["redis"], version = ">=5.0"}
mypackage = {editable = true, path = "."}
private-pkg = {git = "ssh://git@github.com/user/repo.git", ref = "main"}

[dev-packages]
pytest = "*"
black = "==23.1.0"
flake8 = "*"
mypy = "*"

[requires]
python_version = "3.11"

[scripts]
start = "python manage.py runserver"
test = "pytest tests/ -v"
lint = "flake8 src/"
format = "black src/"

Environment Variables¶

# Virtualenv location
export PIPENV_VENV_IN_PROJECT=1           # Create .venv in project
export WORKON_HOME=~/.virtualenvs         # Custom virtualenv location

# Timeout settings
export PIPENV_TIMEOUT=300                 # Lock timeout (seconds)
export PIPENV_INSTALL_TIMEOUT=900         # Install timeout

# Behavior settings
export PIPENV_SKIP_LOCK=1                 # Skip lock generation
export PIPENV_NOSPIN=1                    # Disable spinner (for CI)
export PIPENV_HIDE_EMOJIS=1              # Disable emojis (for CI)
export PIPENV_YES=1                       # Auto-yes to prompts

# Python version
export PIPENV_PYTHON=3.11                 # Default Python version

# Custom PyPI mirror
export PIPENV_PYPI_MIRROR=https://pypi.org/simple

.env File Support¶

Pipenv automatically loads .env file in project root:

# .env file example
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://localhost/mydb
SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key
DEBUG=True

Common Use Cases¶

Use Case: Starting a New Django Project¶

# Initialize project with Python 3.11
pipenv --python 3.11

# Install Django and production dependencies
pipenv install django psycopg2-binary gunicorn

# Install development tools
pipenv install pytest pytest-django black --dev

# Activate environment and start project
pipenv shell
django-admin startproject myproject .

Use Case: Deploying to Production¶

# On development machine - lock dependencies
pipenv lock

# Commit Pipfile and Pipfile.lock to version control
git add Pipfile Pipfile.lock
git commit -m "Lock dependencies"

# On production server - install exact versions
pipenv sync

# Run application
pipenv run gunicorn myapp.wsgi:application

Use Case: Working with Team Members¶

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/team/project.git
cd project

# Install all dependencies (including dev)
pipenv install --dev

# Activate environment
pipenv shell

# Run tests
pytest

# When adding new package, lock and commit
pipenv install new-package
git add Pipfile Pipfile.lock
git commit -m "Add new-package dependency"

Use Case: CI/CD Pipeline¶

# In CI configuration (e.g., .gitlab-ci.yml, GitHub Actions)
# Install pipenv
pip install pipenv

# Install dependencies without dev packages
pipenv sync

# Run tests
pipenv run pytest

# Check for security vulnerabilities
pipenv check

# Set CI-friendly environment variables
export PIPENV_NOSPIN=1
export PIPENV_HIDE_EMOJIS=1

Use Case: Managing Multiple Environments¶

# Development environment
pipenv install --dev
pipenv run python manage.py runserver

# Testing environment
pipenv sync --dev
pipenv run pytest

# Production environment
pipenv sync  # Only production dependencies
pipenv run gunicorn app:app

# Staging with specific configuration
pipenv run --env-file=.env.staging python app.py

Best Practices¶

Always commit both Pipfile and Pipfile.lock to version control for reproducible builds across environments
Use pipenv sync in production instead of pipenv install to ensure exact versions from Pipfile.lock are installed
Separate dev and production dependencies using --dev flag to keep production environments lean
Run pipenv check regularly to scan for security vulnerabilities in your dependencies
Use version constraints wisely - ~= for compatible releases, >=,< for ranges, == only when necessary
Create virtualenv in project directory by setting PIPENV_VENV_IN_PROJECT=1 for easier IDE integration
Use pipenv run for one-off commands instead of activating shell when running scripts in automation
Define common scripts in Pipfile under [scripts] section for team consistency
Keep Pipfile.lock updated by running pipenv lock after modifying Pipfile manually
Use .env files for environment-specific configuration - Pipenv loads them automatically

Troubleshooting¶

Issue	Solution
`pipenv: command not found`	Add `~/.local/bin` to PATH or reinstall with `pip install --user pipenv`
Lock operation takes too long	Increase timeout: `export PIPENV_TIMEOUT=600` or use `--skip-lock` for faster installs
Dependency resolution conflicts	Try `pipenv lock --clear` to regenerate lock file from scratch
Virtual environment not activating	Check `pipenv --venv` shows path, try `pipenv --rm` and recreate with `pipenv install`
Package not found in Pipfile.lock	Run `pipenv lock` to regenerate lock file with new dependencies
Wrong Python version used	Specify version explicitly: `pipenv --python 3.11` or check `[requires]` in Pipfile
SSL certificate verification errors	Set `verify_ssl = false` in Pipfile `[[source]]` section (not recommended for production)
Pipenv installs system-wide packages	Ensure `PIPENV_IGNORE_VIRTUALENVS` is not set, or unset it
Can't find locally installed package	Install in editable mode: `pipenv install -e .`
`pipenv check` fails in CI	Use `pipenv check --ignore VULNERABILITY_ID` to ignore specific known issues
Slow package installation	Use a PyPI mirror: `export PIPENV_PYPI_MIRROR=https://mirror.url/simple`
Conflicting lock file on team	Ensure all team members use same Python version specified in `[requires]`

Version Specifiers Quick Reference¶

Specifier	Meaning	Example
`*`	Any version	`requests = "*"`
`==`	Exact version	`django = "==4.2.0"`
`>=`	Greater than or equal	`flask = ">=2.0"`
`<=`	Less than or equal	`numpy = "<=1.24"`
`~=`	Compatible release	`requests = "~=2.28.0"` (>=2.28.0, <2.29.0)
`>=,<`	Version range	`django = ">=4.0,<5.0"`
`!=`	Exclude version	`package = "!=1.0.0"`