Make Your Python Installs Faster With uv
For several years, pip and pip-tools have become distinguished in Python packaging for their usability and ubiquity. Recently there has been some interesting new developments in the realm of Python packaging tools. In a trend that started around 2022, there has been an ongoing "Rustification" of Python tooling.
uv is designed as a drop-in replacement for pip and pip-tools, and is ready for production use today in projects built around those workflows.
- Charlie Marsh, "uv: Python Packaging in Rust", https://astral.sh/blog/uv
First, Rye was released in pursuit of a "cargo for Python". Cargo is Rust's package manager. It seems to have inspired Python developers to keep trying to improve on what we have with pip.
While this was happening, in secret Astral Software and Charlie Marsh were also working on yet another hybrid Rust + Python package manager named uv. There's seemingly no end to this man and the Astral team's projects! ruff quickly supplanted the incumbent Python linters to become a favorite among Python developers. Could lightning strike twice for the creators of ruff? Seems they won't be a one-hit wonder when it comes to developing hit Python packages.
Improving Python packaging is an audacious and challenging task. Part of the problem is that out of the box Python installs can be tough to reason about for new Python developers, not to mention the hassle of explaining the purpose of virtual environments in Python coding via venv. One perk of uv is that it includes virtual environments in its workflow.
uv is 8-10x faster than pip and pip-tools without caching, and 80-115x faster when running with a warm cache
- Charlie Marsh, "uv: Python Packaging in Rust", https://astral.sh/blog/uv
A new space of potential optimization is now accessible to Python developers. We can now use uv to make our development environment build faster. A modest 8x speedup in Python library installs might shave off a shocking amount of time it takes your freshly minted Docker image to build, especially if you have lots of Python library dependencies. Now, imagine an 80-115x speedup with caching. Docker images also use caching after an image is built the first time. They are an optimization use case along with building your development environment in general. In some development shops, this could cut a lot of time installing developer tooling. It's a potential incredible improvement we can now make with uv!
In the case of Rye and uv, two developers simultaneously identified the same opportunity and are now combining their efforts. Sounds like a win for all Python developers. Armin Ronacher, the creator of the Flask web framework and Charlie Marsch with the proven success of ruff are converging to tackle one of Python's biggest pain points. They could be merged into a "cargo for Python" super tool eventually:
Will Rye be retired for uv? Not today, but the desire is that these tools eventually converge into one.
- Armin Ronacher, "Rye Grows with uv", https://lucumr.pocoo.org/2024/2/15/rye-grows-with-uv/
Per Armin's recent blog post, Rye is probably not the final solution. He thinks Rye will get absorbed into a more fleshed out project like uv. It seems Python packaging will continue evolving and improving, a welcome sight for Pythonistas!
Image Source: "uv: Python Packaging in Rust", https://astral.sh/blog/uv
Install uv and rye
pip install uv pip install rye # Alternative install for uv with curl curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh # Alternative Install for rye on Linux and Mac curl -sSf https://rye-up.com/get | bash
Create a Virtual Environment With uv
uv venv # Create a virtual environment at .venv. # Activate venv on macOS and Linux. source .venv/bin/activate
Installing a New Module With uv
uv pip install requests
pip sync a requirements.txt file with uv
uv pip sync requirements.txt # Install from a requirements.txt file.
Optional: Configure Rye on Top of uv
rye config --set-bool behavior.use-uv=true
Create a New Python project With Rye
rye init my-project
rye pin 3.10
rye add black
rye sync
rye run black
uv and rye Documentation and Blog Links