I am trying to install some packages using pip and python3. I am using MacOS, so by default when I run pip, it uses my version of Python 2.
I have been able to install a package in python 3 by using:
$ pip3 install package_name
However, I am able to do the same by (at least it seems):
$ python3 -m pip install package_name
I wonder whether or not pip3 and python3 -m pip have the same effect.
They are the same. If you look at the pip3 file in the bin folder it calls the main function from the pip module.
pip3 install package_name runs pip3 file in the bin folder:
# bin/pip3
# or bin/pip if using pip install package_name
import re
import sys
from pip import main
if __name__ == '__main__':
sys.argv[0] = re.sub(r'(-script\.pyw|\.exe)?$', '', sys.argv[0])
sys.exit(main())
python3 -m pip install package_name runs the __init__.py file of the pip module.
# pip/__init__.py
if __name__ == '__main__':
sys.exit(main())
Both of them run the same main() function
As @tihorn says, pip3 and python3 -m pip should be the same. There is at least one exception: if they are not in the same path. I had the following setup:
$ which pip3
/usr/bin/pip3
$ which python3
/home/username/anaconda3/bin/python3
After installing modules with pip3 and verifying with pip3 freeze, I was not able to access them when running python3 my_script.py or python3 -c 'import my_module'. I was getting a ModuleNotFound error.
