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Managing Packages with Pip

Pip is a Python package manager. Many Python package documentation provide pip instructions that result in permission errors because by default pip will install in a system-wide location and fail.

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Exception:
Traceback (most recent call last):
... ... stack trace ... ...
OSError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/apps/cent7/anaconda/2020.07-py38/lib/python3.8/site-packages/mkl_random-1.1.1.dist-info'

If you encounter this error, it means that you cannot modify the global Python installation. We recommend installing Python packages in a conda environment. Detailed instructions for installing packages with pip can be found in our Python package installation page.

Below we list some other useful pip commands.

  • Search for a package in PyPI channels:
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$ pip search packageName
  • Check which packages are installed globally:
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$ pip list
  • Check which packages you have personally installed:
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$ pip list --user
  • Snapshot installed packages:
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$ pip freeze > requirements.txt
  • You can install packages from a snapshot inside a new conda environment. Make sure to load the appropriate conda environment first.
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$ pip install -r requirements.txt

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