Pipenv Cheatsheet

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pipenv update --outdated	Show outdated packages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"