pip-tools
pip-tools is a free pair of command-line tools for managing pinned pip-based dependencies: pip-compile and pip-sync.
What pip-tools is
pip-tools is a free pair of command-line tools for managing pinned pip-based dependencies: pip-compile and pip-sync. pip-compile creates requirements.txt files from pyproject.toml, setup.cfg, setup.py, or requirements.in; it can also handle project and optional dependencies declared in pyproject.toml and generate hashes for pip hash-checking mode. pip-sync installs, upgrades, or removes packages to make a virtual environment match a compiled requirements.txt file. Project defaults can be set in .pip-tools.toml or pyproject.toml, and pip-compile can run as a pre-commit hook. The tools support Linux, macOS, and Windows, and the package requires Python 3.9 or later. Compilation can produce different results depending on the operating system, Python version, and implementation. For that reason, the project advises compiling separately for each target environment. The backtracking resolver is the default; the legacy resolver is deprecated. pip-tools is distributed under the BSD License.
Good
- Compiles requirements from several project files.
- Synchronizes virtual environments to a requirements file.
- Can generate hashes for pip hash-checking mode.
- Supports Linux, macOS, and Windows.
- Free and distributed under the BSD License.
Watch out
- Requires Python 3.9 or later.
- Compilation can vary by target environment.
- The default backtracking resolver is generally slower.
Who it suits
It suits developers and system administrators who manage pip dependencies and want to synchronize virtual environments with compiled requirements. It can also help teams maintain separate dependency files for different target environments.
Verdict
pip-tools provides dependency compilation and environment synchronization for pip-based projects. Compile separately for each target environment when operating systems, Python versions, or implementations differ.
Plans and prices
From pip-tools's own pricing page, checked 1 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| pip-tools | Free | command-line tools · install per virtual environment · Python >=3.9 |
The facts
Each one read from pip-tools's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Audience
- PyPI classifies the project for developers and system administrators.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Configuration
- Project-level defaults can be configured in .pip-tools.toml or pyproject.toml.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Core commands
- The project consists of pip-compile and pip-sync.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Cross-environment limit
- Because dependencies can vary by operating system, Python version, and implementation, users should run pip-compile separately for each targeted environment.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Dependency compilation
- pip-compile creates requirements.txt files from pyproject.toml, setup.cfg, setup.py, or requirements.in.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Environment synchronization
- pip-sync installs, upgrades, and uninstalls packages so a virtual environment matches compiled requirements exactly.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Hash security
- pip-compile can generate hashes for pip hash-checking mode with the --generate-hashes flag.checked 1 Oct 2026
- License
- pip-tools is distributed under the BSD License and has an OS Independent classifier on PyPI.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Maintainer model
- Jazzband is a collaborative community that shares responsibility for maintaining Python-based projects.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Packaging integrations
- pip-compile supports pyproject.toml projects and can pin dependencies for Setuptools, Hatch, and flit.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Pre-commit integration
- pip-compile can be used as a pre-commit hook.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- pip-tools is a set of command-line tools that keeps pinned pip-based packages fresh and helps make builds predictable and deterministic.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Pyproject support
- pip-compile supports project dependencies and optional dependencies declared in pyproject.toml.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Release provenance
- PyPI says the release was uploaded using Trusted Publishing and has a GitHub Actions signature and attestation.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Reproducibility limit
- pip-compile can produce different requirements.txt results for different operating systems, Python versions, and Python implementations.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Requirement compilation
- pip-compile generates requirements.txt from pyproject.toml, setup.cfg, setup.py, or requirements.in.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Resolver behavior
- The backtracking resolver is the default and is more robust, while the legacy resolver is deprecated and may take less predictable paths.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Resolver limit
- The legacy resolver is deprecated, while the backtracking resolver is the default and is described as more robust but generally slower.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Security advisories
- The GitHub security page states that there are no published security advisories.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Security reporting
- Jazzband asks users to report security issues privately by email to [email protected] rather than opening public issues or pull requests.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Supported audience
- PyPI classifies pip-tools for developers and system administrators.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Supported Python
- The PyPI package requires Python >=3.9 and lists CPython and PyPy classifiers for Python 3.9 through 3.14.checked 1 Oct 2026
