Cabal
7.3#17 in package managersFree planFree planLinuxmacOSWindows
VisitCabal vs pip
What both publish
| Fact | Cabal | pip |
|---|---|---|
| Dependency resolution | Yes | pip resolves dependencies and selects the latest version that satisfies the given constraints. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Installation | The Cabal download page recommends obtaining Cabal through ghcup and provides links to manually downloaded binaries for many architectures. | pip is usually installed automatically in virtual environments and with Python downloaded from python.org. |
| Lockfile support | Yes | Yes |
| Offline installation | Yes | Yes |
| Package formats | .cabal files; .tar.gz source distributions; RPM; Debian packages; Windows installers | sdist,wheel |
| Package sources | Cabal can install packages from local directories, package archives, and local or remote tarball files. | pip looks at PyPI by default and can install packages from other Python package repositories. |
| Purpose | Cabal is a system for building and packaging Haskell libraries and programs. | pip is the package installer for Python and can install packages from PyPI and other indexes. |
| Security | The official Cabal pages opened here do not state a security certification or compliance standard. | The documentation says pip does not check for remote tampering by default, but hash-checking mode and binary-only installs can provide a more secure installation method. |
| Support | Cabal documentation directs users to its bug tracker for flaws and feature requests and to the libraries mailing list for general questions. | The documentation directs users seeking help to GitHub Issues, the Discourse channel, and User IRC. |
| Supported platforms | Linux; macOS; FreeBSD; Windows | The current pip version is supported on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and maintainers do not support other operating systems. |
Cabal plans
- CabalFree
pip plans
- pipFree
Pick Cabal if…
Cabal suits Haskell developers who need package installation, dependency handling, project builds, tests, documentation, or benchmarks. It supports cross-platform workflows and custom build systems.
Pick pip if…
pip suits Python users who need to install packages from indexes, source archives, or project repositories. Its requirements-file, lockfile, and offline-installation support may be useful for managing environments.