requirements.txt File

A requirements.txt file helps manage and share project dependencies.

Generate requirements.txt

To create a requirements.txt file, you can use the pip freeze command, which outputs a list of installed packages and their versions.

For example:

pip freeze > requirements.txt

Install Packages from requirements.txt

To install the packages listed in the requirements.txt file, you can use the pip install command with the -r flag:

pip install -r requirements.txt

This ensures all necessary dependencies are installed when setting up the project on a new system.

Specifying Versions

You can manually edit requirements.txt to control versions:

Exact version:

Django==4.2.5

At least this version:

requests>=2.25.0

Any compatible version (up to next major release):

numpy~=1.24.0

Why Use requirements.txt?

• Ensures all developers use the same package versions
• Makes deployment to servers or cloud services easier
• Saves time when setting up new environments

Best Practices

• Use a virtual environment (venv or conda) to avoid polluting your global Python setup
• Regenerate requirements.txt whenever dependencies change
• Use pip install --upgrade -r requirements.txt to update installed packages
• Keep the file in your project root so it’s easy to find

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