# Compatibility with `pip` and `pip-tools` uv is designed as a drop-in replacement for common `pip` and `pip-tools` workflows. Informally, the intent is such that existing `pip` and `pip-tools` users can switch to uv without making meaningful changes to their packaging workflows; and, in most cases, swapping out `pip install` for `uv pip install` should "just work". However, uv is _not_ intended to be an _exact_ clone of `pip`, and the further you stray from common `pip` workflows, the more likely you are to encounter differences in behavior. In some cases, those differences may be known and intentional; in others, they may be the result of implementation details; and in others, they may be bugs. This document outlines the known differences between uv and `pip`, along with rationale, workarounds, and a statement of intent for compatibility in the future. ## Configuration files and environment variables uv does not read configuration files or environment variables that are specific to `pip`, like `pip.conf` or `PIP_INDEX_URL`. Reading configuration files and environment variables intended for other tools has a number of drawbacks: 1. It requires bug-for-bug compatibility with the target tool, since users end up relying on bugs in the format, the parser, etc. 2. If the target tool _changes_ the format in some way, uv is then locked-in to changing it in equivalent ways. 3. If that configuration is versioned in some way, uv would need to know _which version_ of the target tool the user is expecting to use. 4. It prevents uv from introducing any settings or configuration that don't exist in the target tool, since otherwise `pip.conf` (or similar) would no longer be usable with `pip`. 5. It can lead to user confusion, since uv would be reading settings that don't actually affect its behavior, and many users may _not_ expect uv to read configuration files intended for other tools. Instead, uv supports its own environment variables, like `UV_INDEX_URL`. In the future, uv will also support persistent configuration in its own configuration file format (e.g., `pyproject.toml` or `uv.toml` or similar). For more, see [#651](https://github.com/astral-sh/uv/issues/651). ## Pre-release compatibility By default, uv will accept pre-release versions during dependency resolution in two cases: 1. If the package is a direct dependency, and its version markers include a pre-release specifier (e.g., `flask>=2.0.0rc1`). 1. If _all_ published versions of a package are pre-releases. If dependency resolution fails due to a transitive pre-release, uv will prompt the user to re-run with `--prerelease=allow`, to allow pre-releases for all dependencies. Alternatively, you can add the transitive dependency to your `requirements.in` file with pre-release specifier (e.g., `flask>=2.0.0rc1`) to opt in to pre-release support for that specific dependency. In sum, uv needs to know upfront whether the resolver should accept pre-releases for a given package. `pip`, meanwhile, _may_ respect pre-release identifiers in transitive dependencies depending on the order in which the resolver encounters the relevant specifiers ([#1641](https://github.com/astral-sh/uv/issues/1641#issuecomment-1981402429)). Pre-releases are [notoriously difficult](https://pubgrub-rs-guide.netlify.app/limitations/prerelease_versions) to model, and are a frequent source of bugs in packaging tools. Even `pip`, which is viewed as a reference implementation, has a number of open questions around pre-release handling ([#12469](https://github.com/pypa/pip/issues/12469), [#12470](https://github.com/pypa/pip/issues/12470), [#40505](https://discuss.python.org/t/handling-of-pre-releases-when-backtracking/40505/20), etc.). uv's pre-release handling is _intentionally_ limited and _intentionally_ requires user opt-in for pre-releases, to ensure correctness. In the future, uv _may_ support pre-release identifiers in transitive dependencies. However, it's likely contingent on evolution in the Python packaging specifications. The existing PEPs [do not cover "dependency resolution"](https://discuss.python.org/t/handling-of-pre-releases-when-backtracking/40505/17) and are instead focused on behavior for a _single_ version specifier. As such, there are unresolved questions around the correct and intended behavior for pre-releases in the packaging ecosystem more broadly. ## Local version identifiers uv does not implement spec-compliant handling of local version identifiers (e.g., `1.2.3+local`). This is considered a known limitation. Although local version identifiers are rare in published packages (and, e.g., disallowed on PyPI), they're common in the PyTorch ecosystem, and uv's approach to local versions _does_ support typical PyTorch workflows to succeed out-of-the-box. [PEP 440](https://peps.python.org/pep-0440/#version-specifiers) specifies that the local version segment should typically be ignored when evaluating version specifiers, with a few exceptions. For example, `foo==1.2.3` should accept `1.2.3+local`, but `foo==1.2.3+local` should _not_ accept `1.2.3`. These asymmetries are hard to model in a resolution algorithm. As such, uv treats `1.2.3` and `1.2.3+local` as entirely separate versions, but respects local versions provided as direct dependencies throughout the resolution, such that if you provide `foo==1.2.3+local` as a direct dependency, `1.2.3+local` _will_ be accepted for any transitive dependencies that request `foo==1.2.3`. To take an example from the PyTorch ecosystem, it's common to specify `torch==2.0.0+cu118` and `torchvision==0.15.1+cu118` as direct dependencies. `torchvision @ 0.15.1+cu118` declares a dependency on `torch==2.0.0`. In this case, uv would recognize that `torch==2.0.0+cu118` satisfies the specifier, since it was provided as a direct dependency. As compared to pip, the main differences in observed behavior are as follows: - In general, local versions must be provided as direct dependencies. Resolution may succeed for transitive dependencies that request a non-local version, but this is not guaranteed. - If _only_ local versions exist for a package `foo` at a given version (e.g., `1.2.3+local` exists, but `1.2.3` does not), `uv pip install foo==1.2.3` will fail, while `pip install foo==1.2.3` will resolve to an arbitrary local version. ## Packages that exist on multiple indexes In both uv and `pip`, users can specify multiple package indexes from which to search for the available versions of a given package. However, uv and `pip` differ in how they handle packages that exist on multiple indexes. For example, imagine that a company publishes an internal version of `requests` on a private index (`--extra-index-url`), but also allows installing packages from PyPI by default. In this case, the private `requests` would conflict with the public [`requests`](https://pypi.org/project/requests/) on PyPI. When uv searches for a package across multiple indexes, it will iterate over the indexes in order (preferring the `--extra-index-url` over the default index), and stop searching as soon as it finds a match. This means that if a package exists on multiple indexes, uv will limit its candidate versions to those present in the first index that contains the package. `pip`, meanwhile, will combine the candidate versions from all indexes, and select the best version from the combined set, though it makes [no guarantees around the order](https://github.com/pypa/pip/issues/5045#issuecomment-369521345) in which it searches indexes, and expects that packages are unique up to name and version, even across indexes. uv's behavior is such that if a package exists on an internal index, it should always be installed from the internal index, and never from PyPI. The intent is to prevent "dependency confusion" attacks, in which an attacker publishes a malicious package on PyPI with the same name as an internal package, thus causing the malicious package to be installed instead of the internal package. See, for example, [the `torchtriton` attack](https://pytorch.org/blog/compromised-nightly-dependency/) from December 2022. As of v0.1.39, users can opt in to `pip`-style behavior for multiple indexes via the `--index-strategy` command-line option, or the `UV_INDEX_STRATEGY` environment variable, which supports the following values: - `first-match` (default): Search for each package across all indexes, limiting the candidate versions to those present in the first index that contains the package, prioritizing the `--extra-index-url` indexes over the default index URL. - `unsafe-first-match`: Search for each package across all indexes, but prefer the first index with a compatible version, even if newer versions are available on other indexes. - `unsafe-best-match`: Search for each package across all indexes, and select the best version from the combined set of candidate versions. While `unsafe-best-match` is the closest to `pip`'s behavior, it exposes users to the risk of "dependency confusion" attacks. In the future, uv will support pinning packages to dedicated indexes (see: [#171](https://github.com/astral-sh/uv/issues/171)). Additionally, [PEP 708](https://peps.python.org/pep-0708/) is a provisional standard that aims to address the "dependency confusion" issue across package registries and installers. ## PEP 517 build isolation uv uses [PEP 517](https://peps.python.org/pep-0517/) build isolation by default (akin to `pip install --use-pep517`), following `pypa/build` and in anticipation of `pip` defaulting to PEP 517 builds in the future ([pypa/pip#9175](https://github.com/pypa/pip/issues/9175)). If a package fails to install due to a missing build-time dependency, try using a newer version of the package; if the problem persists, consider filing an issue with the package maintainer, requesting that they update the packaging setup to declare the correct PEP 517 build-time dependencies. As an escape hatch, you can preinstall a package's build dependencies, then run `uv pip install` with `--no-build-isolation`, as in: ```shell uv pip install wheel && uv pip install --no-build-isolation biopython==1.77 ``` For a list of packages that are known to fail under PEP 517 build isolation, see [#2252](https://github.com/astral-sh/uv/issues/2252). ## Transitive direct URL dependencies for constraints and overrides While uv does support URL dependencies (e.g., `black @ https://...`), it does not support _transitive_ (i.e., "nested") direct URL dependencies for constraints and overrides. Specifically, if a constraint or override is defined using a direct URL dependency, and the constrained package has a direct URL dependency of its own, uv _may_ reject that transitive direct URL dependency during resolution. uv also makes the assumption that non-URL dependencies won't introduce URL dependencies (i.e., that dependencies fetched from a registry will not themselves have direct URL dependencies). If a non-URL dependency _does_ introduce a URL dependency, uv will reject the URL dependency during resolution. If uv rejects a transitive URL dependency in either case, the best course of action is to provide the URL dependency as a direct dependency in the `requirements.in` file, rather than as a constraint, override, or transitive dependency. ## Virtual environments by default `uv pip install` and `uv pip sync` are designed to work with virtual environments by default. Specifically, uv will always install packages into the currently active virtual environment, or search for a virtual environment named `.venv` in the current directory or any parent directory (even if it is not activated). This differs from `pip`, which will install packages into a global environment if no virtual environment is active, and will not search for inactive virtual environments. In uv, you can install into non-virtual environments by providing a path to a Python executable via the `--python /path/to/python` option, or via the `--system` flag, which installs into the first Python interpreter found on the `PATH`, like `pip`. In other words, uv inverts the default, requiring explicit opt-in to installing into the system Python, which can lead to breakages and other complications, and should only be done in limited circumstances. For more, see ["Installing into arbitrary Python environments"](./README.md#installing-into-arbitrary-python-environments). ## Resolution strategy For a given set of dependency specifiers, it's often the case that there is no single "correct" set of packages to install. Instead, there are many valid sets of packages that satisfy the specifiers. Neither `pip` nor uv make any guarantees about the _exact_ set of packages that will be installed; only that the resolution will be consistent, deterministic, and compliant with the specifiers. As such, in some cases, `pip` and uv will yield different resolutions; however, both resolutions _should_ be equally valid. For example, consider: ```txt # requirements.txt starlette fastapi ``` At time of writing, the most recent `starlette` version is `0.37.2`, and the most recent `fastapi` version is `0.110.0`. However, `fastapi==0.110.0` also depends on `starlette`, and introduces an upper bound: `starlette>=0.36.3,<0.37.0`. If a resolver prioritizes including the most recent version of `starlette`, it would need to use an older version of `fastapi` that excludes the upper bound on `starlette`. In practice, this requires falling back to `fastapi==0.1.17`: ```txt # This file was autogenerated by uv via the following command: # uv pip compile - annotated-types==0.6.0 # via pydantic anyio==4.3.0 # via starlette fastapi==0.1.17 idna==3.6 # via anyio pydantic==2.6.3 # via fastapi pydantic-core==2.16.3 # via pydantic sniffio==1.3.1 # via anyio starlette==0.37.2 # via fastapi typing-extensions==4.10.0 # via # pydantic # pydantic-core ``` Alternatively, if a resolver prioritizes including the most recent version of `fastapi`, it would need to use an older version of `starlette` that satisfies the upper bound. In practice, this requires falling back to `starlette==0.36.3`: ```txt # uv pip compile - annotated-types==0.6.0 # via pydantic anyio==4.3.0 # via starlette fastapi==0.110.0 idna==3.6 # via anyio pydantic==2.6.3 # via fastapi pydantic-core==2.16.3 # via pydantic sniffio==1.3.1 # via anyio starlette==0.36.3 # via fastapi typing-extensions==4.10.0 # via # fastapi # pydantic # pydantic-core ``` When uv resolutions differ from `pip` in undesirable ways, it's often a sign that the specifiers are too loose, and that the user should consider tightening them. For example, in the case of `starlette` and `fastapi`, the user could require `fastapi>=0.110.0`. ## `pip check` At present, `uv pip check` will surface the following diagnostics: - A package has no `METADATA` file, or the `METADATA` file can't be parsed. - A package has a `Requires-Python` that doesn't match the Python version of the running interpreter. - A package has a dependency on a package that isn't installed. - A package has a dependency on a package that's installed, but at an incompatible version. - Multiple versions of a package are installed in the virtual environment. In some cases, `uv pip check` will surface diagnostics that `pip check` does not, and vice versa. For example, unlike `uv pip check`, `pip check` will _not_ warn when multiple versions of a package are installed in the current environment. ## `--user` and the `user` install scheme uv does not support the `--user` flag, which installs packages based on the `user` install scheme. Instead, we recommend the use of virtual environments to isolate package installations. Additionally, pip will fall back to the `user` install scheme if it detects that the user does not have write permissions to the target directory, as is the case on some systems when installing into the system Python. uv does not implement any such fallback. For more, see [#2077](https://github.com/astral-sh/uv/issues/2077). ## `--only-binary` enforcement The `--only-binary` argument is used to restrict installation to pre-built binary distributions. When `--only-binary :all:` is provided, both pip and uv will refuse to build source distributions from PyPI and other registries. However, when a dependency is provided as a direct URL (e.g., `uv pip install https://...`), pip does _not_ enforce `--only-binary`, and will build source distributions for all such packages. uv, meanwhile, _does_ enforce `--only-binary` for direct URL dependencies, with one exception: given `uv pip install https://... --only-binary flask`, uv _will_ build the source distribution at the given URL if it cannot infer the package name ahead of time, since uv can't determine whether the package is "allowed" in such cases without building its metadata. Both pip and uv allow editables requirements to be built and installed even when `--only-binary` is provided. For example, `uv pip install -e . --only-binary :all:` is allowed. ## Bytecode compilation Unlike pip, uv does not compile `.py` files to `.pyc` files during installation by default (i.e., uv does not create or populate `__pycache__` directories). To enable bytecode compilation during installs, pass the `--compile-bytecode` flag to `uv pip install` or `uv pip sync`. ## Strictness and spec enforcement uv tends to be stricter than `pip`, and will often reject packages that `pip` would install. For example, uv omits packages with invalid version specifiers in its metadata, which `pip` similarly plans to exclude in a [future release](https://github.com/pypa/pip/issues/12063). In some cases, uv implements lenient behavior for popular packages that are known to have specific spec compliance issues. If uv rejects a package that `pip` would install due to a spec violation, the best course of action is to first attempt to install a newer version of the package; and, if that fails, to report the issue to the package maintainer. ## `pip` command-line options and subcommands uv does not support the complete set of `pip`'s command-line options and subcommands, although it does support a large subset. Missing options and subcommands are prioritized based on user demand and the complexity of the implementation, and tend to be tracked in individual issues. For example: - [`--trusted-host`](https://github.com/astral-sh/uv/issues/1339) - [`--user`](https://github.com/astral-sh/uv/issues/2077) If you encounter a missing option or subcommand, please search the issue tracker to see if it has already been reported, and if not, consider opening a new issue. Feel free to upvote any existing issues to convey your interest. ## Registry authentication uv does not support `pip`'s `auto` or `import` options for `--keyring-provider`. At present, only the `subproces` option is supported. Unlike `pip`, uv does not enable keyring authentication by default. Unlike `pip`, uv does not wait until a request returns a HTTP 401 before searching for authentication. uv attaches authentication to all requests for hosts with credentials available. ## `egg` support uv does not support features that are considered legacy or deprecated in `pip`. For example, uv does not support `.egg`-style distributions. However, uv does have partial support for (1) `.egg-info`-style distributions (which are occasionally found in Docker images and Conda environments) and (2) legacy editable `.egg-link`-style distributions. Specifically, uv does not support installing new `.egg-info`- or `.egg-link`-style distributions, but will respect any such existing distributions during resolution, list them with `uv pip list` and `uv pip freeze`, and uninstall them with `uv pip uninstall`. ## `pip compile` defaults There are a few small but notable differences in the default behaviors of `pip compile` and `pip-tools`. By default, uv does not write the compiled requirements to an output file. Instead, uv requires that the user specify an output file explicitly with the `-o` or `--output-file` option. By default, uv strips extras when outputting the compiled requirements. In other words, uv defaults to `--strip-extras`, while `pip-compile` defaults to `--no-strip-extras`. `pip-compile` is scheduled to change this default in the next major release (v8.0.0), at which point both tools will default to `--strip-extras`. To retain extras with uv, pass the `--no-strip-extras` flag to `uv pip compile`. By default, uv does not write any index URLs to the output file, while `pip-compile` outputs any `--index-url` or `--extra-index-url` that does not match the default (PyPI). To include index URLs in the output file, pass the `--emit-index-url` flag to `uv pip compile`. Unlike `pip-compile`, uv will include all index URLs when `--emit-index-url` is passed, including the default index URL. ## `requires-python` enforcement When evaluating Python versions against `requires-python` specifiers, uv truncates the candidate version to the major, minor, and patch components, ignoring (e.g.) pre-release and post-release identifiers. For example, a project that declares `requires-python: >=3.13` will accept Python 3.13.0b1. While 3.13.0b1 is not strictly greater than 3.13, it is greater than 3.13 when the pre-release identifier is omitted. While this is not strictly compliant with [PEP 440](https://peps.python.org/pep-0440/), it _is_ consistent with [pip](https://github.com/pypa/pip/blob/24.1.1/src/pip/_internal/resolution/resolvelib/candidates.py#L540).