virtualenv-multiver
virtualenv-multiver
is a wrapper around virtualenv, the standard tool for
creating isolated Python environments. It's built to allow multiple versions
of Python to be usable within a single environment. This is really handy when
you're doing development and testing across a range of Python versions, and
you don't want to have to juggle your active environment for every version.
Installation
Simple:
pip install virtualenv-multiver
Usage
Also simple. To create a new virtual environment, just provide the path to that environment and the versions you want installed. For example:
virtualenv-multiver ~/venvs/my-project 2.7 3.6 3.7 3.8
Or:
virtualenv-multiver ~/venvs/my-project pypy pypy3
The resulting virtual environment will include all those versions of Python without any additional configuration.
FAQ
How does this work?
virtualenv-multiver
runs through the list of Python versions provided and
calls out to virtualenv
for each version
After each virtualenv
call, it fixes up the tree a bit. This involves:
- Ensuring symlinks point to the right place (
python2
points to the latestpython2.*
specified, for instance) - Patching any installed scripts (such as
pip3.8
) and making sure it points to the correct, versioned interpreter - Moves and patches some binaries and configuration files around to avoid collision issues.
Once done, it sets the top-level symlinks for python2
, python3
,
pip2
, pip3
, etc. (any that specify a major version) to point to the
latest version in that series.
It then sets the generic, version-less ones (python
, pip
, etc.) to
point to the Python 2 versions (if Python 2 is installed), or Python 3 (if
not). This helps ensure compatibility with scripts that expect python
to
mean "Python 2".
Are all versions of CPython supported?
Yes. Pretty much. It depends on whether virtualenv itself will support the version.
Is PyPY supported?
Yes. Sorta.
PyPy doesn't cleanly install alongside CPython in a virtual environment, due to CPython and PyPy claiming some of the same files and directories. We only allow PyPy to install independently or alongside another PyPy.
You may have issues even with multiple PyPy installations. They'll install and
run, but will share the same site-packages
directory, which is beyond our
control for the moment.
If this isn't a problem for you, go for it. Otherwise, you may want to stick
to a standard virtualenv
call for those.
How do I report a bug?
You can file an issue on the GitHub issue tracker.
Who uses this?
We use virtualenv-multiver
at Beanbag for our Review Board and
RBCommons products.
If you use this, let us know and we'll add you to a list here!
What else do you build?
Lots of things. Check out some of our other open source projects.