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			83 lines
		
	
	
	
		
			3.5 KiB
		
	
	
	
		
			Markdown
		
	
	
	
	
	
			
		
		
	
	
			83 lines
		
	
	
	
		
			3.5 KiB
		
	
	
	
		
			Markdown
		
	
	
	
	
	
# Project structure and files
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## The `pyproject.toml`
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Python project metadata is defined in a
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[`pyproject.toml`](https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/guides/writing-pyproject-toml/) file. uv
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requires this file to identify the root directory of a project.
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!!! tip
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    `uv init` can be used to create a new project. See [Creating projects](./init.md) for
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    details.
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A minimal project definition includes a name and version:
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```toml title="pyproject.toml"
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[project]
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name = "example"
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version = "0.1.0"
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```
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Additional project metadata and configuration includes:
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- [Python version requirement](./config.md#python-version-requirement)
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- [Dependencies](./dependencies.md)
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- [Build system](./config.md#build-systems)
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- [Entry points (commands)](./config.md#entry-points)
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## The project environment
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When working on a project with uv, uv will create a virtual environment as needed. While some uv
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commands will create a temporary environment (e.g., `uv run --isolated`), uv also manages a
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persistent environment with the project and its dependencies in a `.venv` directory next to the
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`pyproject.toml`. It is stored inside the project to make it easy for editors to find — they need
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the environment to give code completions and type hints. It is not recommended to include the
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`.venv` directory in version control; it is automatically excluded from `git` with an internal
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`.gitignore` file.
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To run a command in the project environment, use `uv run`. Alternatively the project environment can
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be activated as normal for a virtual environment.
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When `uv run` is invoked, it will create the project environment if it does not exist yet or ensure
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it is up-to-date if it exists. The project environment can also be explicitly created with
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`uv sync`.
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It is _not_ recommended to modify the project environment manually, e.g., with `uv pip install`. For
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project dependencies, use `uv add` to add a package to the environment. For one-off requirements,
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use [`uvx`](../../guides/tools.md) or
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[`uv run --with`](./run.md#requesting-additional-dependencies).
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!!! tip
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    If you don't want uv to manage the project environment, set [`managed = false`](../../reference/settings.md#managed)
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    to disable automatic locking and syncing of the project. For example:
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    ```toml title="pyproject.toml"
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    [tool.uv]
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    managed = false
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    ```
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## The lockfile
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uv creates a `uv.lock` file next to the `pyproject.toml`.
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`uv.lock` is a _universal_ or _cross-platform_ lockfile that captures the packages that would be
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installed across all possible Python markers such as operating system, architecture, and Python
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version.
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Unlike the `pyproject.toml`, which is used to specify the broad requirements of your project, the
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lockfile contains the exact resolved versions that are installed in the project environment. This
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file should be checked into version control, allowing for consistent and reproducible installations
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across machines.
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A lockfile ensures that developers working on the project are using a consistent set of package
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versions. Additionally, it ensures when deploying the project as an application that the exact set
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of used package versions is known.
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The lockfile is created and updated during uv invocations that use the project environment, i.e.,
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`uv sync` and `uv run`. The lockfile may also be explicitly updated using `uv lock`.
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`uv.lock` is a human-readable TOML file but is managed by uv and should not be edited manually.
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There is no Python standard for lockfiles at this time, so the format of this file is specific to uv
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and not usable by other tools.
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