pixi: Package management made easy

pixi is a cross-platform, multi-language package manager and workflow tool build on the shoulders of the conda ecosystem.

pixi provides all developers the exceptional experience that is usually found with package managers like cargo or yarn but for any language.

pixi_trimmed.mp4

Highlights

• Support for multiple languages like Python, C++ and R using Conda packages
• All OS's: Linux, Windows, macOS (including Apple Silicon)
• A lockfile is always included and always up-to-date.
• A clean and simple Cargo-like command-line interface.
• Install tools per-project or system-wide.
• Completely written in Rust and build on top of the rattler library.

Getting Started

• ⚡ Installation
• ⚙️ Examples
• 📚 Documentation
• 😍 Contributing

Status

This project is currently in alpha stage. There are many features that we want to add. The file formats are still in flux. Expect breaking changes while we work towards a v1.0.

Some notable features that we have in the pipeline are:

• Build and publish your project as a Conda package.
• Support for PyPi packages.
• Support dependencies from source.
• Improve docs, examples and user experience

Installation

You can install pixi as a binary from the releases. pixi can be installed on macOS, Linux, and Windows. The provided scripts will automatically download the latest version of pixi, extract it, and move the pixi binary to ~/.pixi/bin. If this directory does not already exist, the script will create it.

macOS and Linux

To install Pixi on macOS and Linux, open a terminal and run the following command:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/prefix-dev/pixi/main/install/install.sh | bash

The script will also update your ~/.bash_profile to include ~/.pixi/bin in your PATH, allowing you to invoke the pixi command from anywhere. You might need to restart your terminal or source your shell for the changes to take effect.

Windows

To install Pixi on Windows, open a PowerShell terminal (you may need to run it as an administrator) and run the following command:

iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/prefix-dev/pixi/main/install/install.ps1 | iex

The script will inform you once the installation is successful and add the ~/.pixi/bin directory to your PATH, which will allow you to run the pixi command from any location.

Install from source

pixi is 100% written in Rust and therefor it can be installed, build and tested with cargo. To start using pixi from a source build run:

cargo install --locked --git https://github.com/prefix-dev/pixi.git

or when you want to make changes use:

cargo build
cargo test

If you have any issues building because of the dependency on rattler checkout it's compile steps

Uninstall

To uninstall the pixi binary should be removed. Delete pixi from the $PIXI_DIR which is default to ~/.pixi/bin/pixi

So on linux its:

rm ~/.pixi/bin/pixi

and on windows:

$PIXI_BIN = "$Env:LocalAppData\pixi\bin\pixi"; Remove-Item -Path $PIXI_BIN

After this command you can still use the tools you installed with pixi. To remove these as well just remove the whole ~/.pixi directory and remove the directory from your path.

Autocompletion

To get autocompletion run:

# On unix (MacOS or Linux), pick your shell (use `echo $SHELL` to find the shell you are using.):
echo 'eval "$(pixi completion --shell bash)"' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'eval "$(pixi completion --shell zsh)"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'pixi completion --shell fish | source' >> ~/.config/fish/config.fish
echo 'eval (pixi completion --shell elvish | slurp)' >> ~/.elvish/rc.elv

# On Windows:
Add-Content -Path $PROFILE -Value 'Invoke-Expression (&pixi completion --shell powershell)'

And then restart the shell or source the shell config file.

Usage

The cli looks as follows:

➜ pixi
A package management and workflow tool

Usage: pixi [OPTIONS] <COMMAND>

Commands:
  completion  Generates a completion script for a shell
  init        Creates a new project
  add         Adds a dependency to the project
  run         Runs command in project
  shell       Start a shell in the pixi environment of the project
  global      Global is the main entry point for the part of pixi that executes on the global(system) level
  auth        Login to prefix.dev or anaconda.org servers to access private channels
  install     Install all dependencies
  help        Print this message or the help of the given subcommand(s)

Options:
  -v, --verbose...  More output per occurrence
  -q, --quiet...    Less output per occurrence
  -h, --help        Print help
  -V, --version     Print version

Creating a pixi project

Initialize a new project and navigate to the project directory

pixi init myproject && cd myproject

Add the dependencies you want to use

pixi add cowpy

Run the installed package in its environment

pixi run cowpy "Thanks for using pixi"

Activate a shell in the environment

pixi shell
cowpy "Thanks for using pixi"

For more information check the documentation

Installing a conda package globally

You can also globally install conda packages into their own environment. This behavior is similar to pipx.

pixi global install cowpy

For more examples check the documentation

Contributing 😍

We would absolutely love for you to contribute to pixi! Whether you want to start an issue, fix a bug you encountered, or suggest an improvement, every contribution is greatly appreciated.

If you're just getting started with our project or stepping into the Rust ecosystem for the first time, we've got your back! We recommend beginning with issues labeled as good first issue. These are carefully chosen tasks that provide a smooth entry point into contributing.These issues are typically more straightforward and are a great way to get familiar with the project.

Got questions or ideas, or just want to chat? Join our lively conversations on Discord. We're very active and would be happy to welcome you to our community. Join our discord server today!