Easily install apps from PyPI and automatically keep them updated.
autopip automates the creation of a virtual environment using venv, installs any Python package with scripts (i.e. app) from PyPI using pip, and atomically creates symlinks for installed scripts in /usr/local/bin so you can easily use them. Each app version is installed cleanly into its own virtual environment. Optionally, it can set up crontab entries to update apps automatically (may require admin permission on macOS).
Before starting, make sure your Python installation meets all the requirements -- while autopip can install Python apps that run on any Python version, it requires Python 3.6+ to run:
curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/maxzheng/autopip/master/etc/check-python.py | python3
To install autopip to /usr/local/bin:
sudo pip3 install autopip
No need to worry about tainting system Python install as autopip has no install dependencies and never will.
Alternatively, you can install it in a virtual environment -- the last one that you will ever create manually for installing Python apps:
python3 -m venv ~/.virtualenvs/autopip source ~/.virtualenvs/autopip/bin/activate pip3 install autopip
Optionally, create installation directories and chown to your user so that autopip can create symlinks in
/usr/local/bin:
sudo mkdir /usr/local/opt /usr/local/var sudo chown -R $(whoami) /usr/local/*
Now, you can easily install any apps from PyPI:
$ autopip install workspace-tools
Installing workspace-tools to /usr/local/opt/apps/workspace-tools/3.2.2
Updating symlinks in /usr/local/bin
+ wstOptionally use the --update option to update it daily via cron (may require admin permission on macOS):
$ autopip install workspace-tools --update daily
workspace-tools is up-to-date
Adding to crontab (may require admin permission)
Daily auto-update enabled via cron service
Scripts are in /usr/local/bin: wstInstall paths are selected based on your user's permission to write to /opt or /usr/local/opt. If you do not have
permission for either, then autopip will install apps to your user home at ~/.apps with script symlinks in ~/bin
therefore you will need to add ~/bin to your PATH env var to easily run scripts from installed apps. To install
script symlinks to /usr/local/bin, either chown/chmod dirs in /usr/local/* to be writeable by your user as suggested
above or run autopip using sudo (i.e. as root). To see why a particular path is selected, append --debug
after autopip when running it.
To save typing a few letters, you can also use the app alias -- short for autopip.
$ app install ansible-hostmanager
Installing ansible-hostmanager to /usr/local/opt/apps/ansible-hostmanager/0.2.3
Updating script symlinks in /usr/local/bin
+ ahTo install an app for a specific Python version, use the --python option:
$ app install ducktape --python 3.7
Installing ducktape to /usr/local/opt/apps/ducktape/0.7.3
Updating script symlinks in /usr/local/bin
+ ducktapeTo show currently installed apps and their scripts:
$ app list --scripts
ansible-hostmanager 0.2.3 /usr/local/opt/apps/ansible-hostmanager/0.2.3
/usr/local/bin/ah
ducktape 0.7.3 /usr/local/opt/apps/ducktape/0.7.3
/usr/local/bin/ducktape
workspace-tools 3.2.2 /usr/local/opt/apps/workspace-tools/3.2.2 [updates daily]
/usr/local/bin/wstTo manually update all apps:
$ app update
ansible-hostmanager is up-to-date
ducktape is up-to-date
workspace-tools is up-to-dateTo uninstall:
app uninstall ducktape
If you need to use a private PyPI index, just configure index-url in pip.conf as autopip uses pip to install apps.
To control versioning and uniform installations across multiple hosts/users, you can also define an autopip installation group using entry points. See example in developer-tools package.
- Cron jobs have a random minute set during install and runs hourly for all intervals.
- Up to two versions of an app is kept at a time.