pip-tools
pip-tools keeps your pinned dependencies fresh.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. pip-tools is a mature, actively maintained standard for dependency pinning in Python projects. It has zero known vulnerabilities, low install friction, permissive licensing, and broad Python version support. Use it if you need reproducible builds or want to lock transitive dependencies; skip it only if you're using a different lock-file tool or have no reproducibility requirements.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.9 or later; must be installed in each project's virtual environment.
- Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution.
- Active maintenance with a recent release (2 days old) and strong community engagement (8009 GitHub stars).
License · maintenance · safety
BSD (permissive) — BSD permissive license allows unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in both open-source and proprietary projects with minimal obligations.
last release 2026-08-12 (2 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-14 · 8,009 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 17,372,047 downloads/mo, #1,122 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install pip-tools
pip-compile requirements.in
pip-sync requirements.txt- Whether pip-compile handles all edge cases with conditional dependencies and environment markers as documented.
- Performance characteristics when resolving large dependency trees or monorepo structures.
- Full feature set and limitations of the hashing functionality mentioned in the description excerpt.
What it is and what it does
pip-tools is a pair of command-line utilities—pip-compile and pip-sync—that solve the problem of keeping Python dependencies both explicitly pinned for reproducibility and automatically updated. pip-compile reads your high-level dependency declarations (from pyproject.toml, setup.py, setup.cfg, or requirements.in) and resolves them into a locked requirements.txt with all transitive dependencies pinned to specific versions, annotated with their dependency chains. pip-sync then installs or removes packages to match that locked file exactly.
The package is designed for teams building production Python applications where deterministic, repeatable builds are essential. It supports modern packaging standards and legacy setuptools configurations. It can selectively upgrade specific packages or all packages at once, and preserves existing pins unless explicitly told to upgrade, keeping your lock file stable across runs.
Use it for
- Generate a locked requirements.txt from pyproject.toml for a Django application to ensure CI/CD builds are deterministic.
- Upgrade a single dependency while keeping all others pinned, then sync the environment to match.
- Compile optional dependencies into separate lock files for different deployment contexts.
- Pin transitive dependencies in an open-source package's CI to prevent unexpected breakage from upstream updates.
- Manage requirements across multiple Python versions by running pip-compile in each version's virtual environment.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
pip-tools is a mature, actively maintained standard for dependency pinning in Python projects. It has zero known vulnerabilities, low install friction, permissive licensing, and broad Python version support. Use it if you need reproducible builds or want to lock transitive dependencies; skip it only if you're using a different lock-file tool or have no reproducibility requirements.
Install
pip-tools on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution. Active maintenance with a recent release (2 days old) and strong community engagement (8009 GitHub stars). Depends on standard packaging tools (build, click, pip, setuptools, wheel) that are typically already present in development environments.
Requires Python 3.9 or later; must be installed in each project's virtual environment.
License in practice
BSD permissive license allows unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in both open-source and proprietary projects with minimal obligations.
Quickstart
pip install pip-tools
pip-compile requirements.in
pip-sync requirements.txtVerify before relying
- Whether pip-compile handles all edge cases with conditional dependencies and environment markers as documented.
- Performance characteristics when resolving large dependency trees or monorepo structures.
- Full feature set and limitations of the hashing functionality mentioned in the description excerpt.
Package facts
| License | BSD permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.9 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 8 packagesbuildclickpippyproject_hookstyping_extensionstomlisetuptoolswheel |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 2 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 17,372,047 / month, #1,122 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: System AdministratorsLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Software Development :: Quality AssuranceTopic :: Software Development :: TestingTopic :: System :: Systems AdministrationTopic :: UtilitiesTyping :: Typed |
Evidence: pip_tools-7.6.1-py3-none-any.whl
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See also pip-compile-multi · pip-review · vale · pipfile · unidep · uv-build · pip-requirements-parser · oldest-supported-numpy · hashin · pip-upgrader