How to Install Pip and packages on Ubuntu 18.04

I just started using Python. Just developed a script in Python. It’s fun. I use Ubuntu 18.04 (64-bit) and there was a older version of Python installed on my distro. Had a hard time upgrading it, so I decided to uninstall it and then install the latest version. So, here’s how to install the latest version of Pip (Python) on Ubuntu 18.04:

First of all, update your system

You should always keep your Ubuntu up-to-date with all its packages. To do so, run the following command:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get -y upgrade

This will update everything on your Ubuntu.

Next, install Pip on your Ubuntu

The actual installation process is very simple. Only one command, which is:

sudo apt-get install python-pip

That’s it. Now the latest version of Pip is installed on your Ubuntu. The package manager will install Pip and all other dependencies, so you don’t have to worry about anything.

You can check which version of Python you have installed by executing:

pip -V

An alternative method to apt-get for installing Pip on Ubuntu is using curl and Python.

How to install Pip on Ubuntu with curl and Python:

Using curl and Python to install Pip is also a simple process. First, run:

curl "https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py" -o "get-pip.py"

Then, run:

python get-pip.py

And that’s it.

We recommend using Hawk Host for VPS hosting. They have 24/7 support, they are low cost, and they are fully-managed. Here’s our review of Hawk Host

How to install packages using Pip

Now that you have Pip installed on your Ubuntu, it’s time to install some packages. You can search for a package using:

pip search packageName

Of course, you should replace packageName and search for whatever package you want. This command will search PyPI for packages with the name you provide.

After you find your desired package, you can install it with:

pip install packageName

And similarly to installing it, you can uninstall it with:

pip uninstall packageName

Running pip --help will give you a list of useful commands you can run with pip and a brief explanation of those commands:

Usage:
  pip  [options]

Commands:
  install                     Install packages.
  download                    Download packages.
  uninstall                   Uninstall packages.
  freeze                      Output installed packages in requirements format.
  list                        List installed packages.
  show                        Show information about installed packages.
  search                      Search PyPI for packages.
  wheel                       Build wheels from your requirements.
  hash                        Compute hashes of package archives.
  completion                  A helper command used for command completion
  help                        Show help for commands.

General Options:
  -h, --help                  Show help.
  --isolated                  Run pip in an isolated mode, ignoring environment variables and user configuration.
  -v, --verbose               Give more output. Option is additive, and can be used up to 3 times.
  -V, --version               Show version and exit.
  -q, --quiet                 Give less output.
  --log                 Path to a verbose appending log.
  --proxy              Specify a proxy in the form [user:passwd@]proxy.server:port.
  --retries          Maximum number of retries each connection should attempt (default 5 times).
  --timeout              Set the socket timeout (default 15 seconds).
  --exists-action     Default action when a path already exists: (s)witch, (i)gnore, (w)ipe, (b)ackup.
  --trusted-host    Mark this host as trusted, even though it does not have valid or any HTTPS.
  --cert                Path to alternate CA bundle.
  --client-cert         Path to SSL client certificate, a single file containing the private key and the certificate in PEM format.