Python by default will attempt to install your packages globally, or in the Nix Store (which it does not have permissions to modify). To use Python with Devbox, we recommend setting up a Virtual Environment using pipenv or Poetry (see below).

Example Repo

devbox add python@3.10, or in your devbox.json add:

  "packages": [
    "python@3.10"
  ],

This will install Python 3.10 in your shell. You can find other versions of Python by running devbox search python. You can also view the available versions on Nixhub

Example Repo

pip is the standard package manager for Python. Since it installs python packages globally, we strongly recommend using a virtual environment.

You can install pip by running devbox add python3xxPackages.pip, where 3xx is the version of Python you want to install. This will also install the pip plugin for Devbox, which automatically creates a virtual environment for installing your packages locally

Your virtual environment is created in the .devbox/virtenv/pip directory by default, and can be activated by running . $VENV_DIR/bin/activate in your devbox shell. You can activate the virtual environment automatically using the init_hook of your devbox.json:

{
    "packages": [
        "python310",
        "python310Packages.pip"
    ],
    "shell": {
        "init_hook": ". $VENV_DIR/bin/activate"
    }
}