Centralising the python Virtual Environment Management with pyenv and plugin
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Best practice for Python development is to create virtual environments, ideally one per project, but this often leads to scattered environments across your system. With pyenv and its plugin pyenv-virtualenv, you can centralize all environments in one location. Pyenv is a powerful tool for managing multiple Python versions, while pyenv-virtualenv extends it by enabling seamless virtual environment creation and management. This combination keeps your Python environments well-organized, ensures they are tied to specific Python versions, and even allows automatic activation based on the project directory, making development simpler and more efficient. Here's how to set it up:

Install and Configure pyenv and pyenv-virtualenv

1. Install System Package for Virtual Environments

First, install the required venv package for your system's default Python version:

# Get the default Python version from the system
PYTHON_VERSION=$(python3 --version | awk '{print $2}' | cut -d. -f1,2)

# Install the appropriate package
sudo apt install -y python${PYTHON_VERSION}-venv

2. Clone pyenv and pyenv-virtualenv

Clone both pyenv and the pyenv-virtualenv plugin:

# Clone pyenv
git clone https://github.com/pyenv/pyenv.git ~/.pyenv

# Clone pyenv-virtualenv plugin
git clone https://github.com/pyenv/pyenv-virtualenv.git ~/.pyenv/plugins/pyenv-virtualenv

3. Update Shell Configuration

Modify your shell configuration files (~/.bashrc, ~/.profile, or ~/.bash_profile) to include the necessary environment variables and initialization commands. Use the following commands based on your shell configuration:

Add to ~/.bashrc:
echo 'export PYENV_ROOT="$HOME/.pyenv"' >> ~/.bashrc 
echo 'command -v pyenv >/dev/null || export PATH="$PYENV_ROOT/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc 
echo 'eval "$(pyenv init -)"' >> ~/.bashrc
Add to ~/.profile (if ~/.bashrc is not sourced):
echo 'export PYENV_ROOT="$HOME/.pyenv"' >> ~/.profile
echo 'command -v pyenv >/dev/null || export PATH="$PYENV_ROOT/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.profile
echo 'eval "$(pyenv init -)"' >> ~/.profile
Add to ~/.bash_profile (alternative to ~/.bashrc):
echo 'export PYENV_ROOT="$HOME/.pyenv"' >> ~/.bash_profile
echo 'command -v pyenv >/dev/null || export PATH="$PYENV_ROOT/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bash_profile
echo 'eval "$(pyenv init -)"' >> ~/.bash_profile

4. Reload Shell

To apply the changes, reload your shell:

source ~/.bashrc  # Or source the relevant file, e.g., ~/.profile or ~/.bash_profile

Using the pyenv to manage the environment

Create a Virtual Environment

Use pyenv virtualenv to create a new virtual environment tied to a specific Python version:

pyenv install 3.11.6  # Install the desired Python version
pyenv virtualenv 3.11.6 myenv  # Create a virtual environment named 'myenv'
List Virtual Environments

View all available virtual environments:

pyenv virtualenvs
Activate a Virtual Environment

Manually activate a virtual environment:

pyenv activate myenv
Deactivate a Virtual Environment

Deactivate the currently active virtual environment:

pyenv deactivate
Delete a Virtual Environment

Remove a virtual environment:

pyenv uninstall myenv
Set a Local Environment (Auto-Activate)

To associate a virtual environment with a specific project directory, navigate to the project and set the local environment:

cd /path/to/project
pyenv local myenv

This creates a .python-version file in the project directory. The virtual environment will auto-activate whenever you enter the directory.

Verification