virtualenv

Spec sheet

Purpose

virtualenv is a command-line tool for creating isolated Python environments.Read 9 Oct 2026 · virtualenv.pypa.io

Integrations

The documentation names tox, poetry, and pipx as tools that use virtualenv’s programmatic API.Read 9 Oct 2026 · virtualenv.pypa.io

License

virtualenv is distributed under the MIT License.Read 9 Oct 2026 · virtualenv.pypa.io

Maker

The Python Packaging Authority is a working group that maintains core software projects used in Python packaging.Read 9 Oct 2026 · pypa.io

Environment setup

It creates an environment with its own Python, pip, and other tools, and packages installed into it remain isolated from system Python.Read 9 Oct 2026 · virtualenv.pypa.io

Extensibility

Entry-point plugins can add interpreter discovery, environment creation, seeding, and activation behavior.Read 9 Oct 2026 · virtualenv.pypa.io

Installation options

The project documents installation through uv, pipx, pip, or a self-contained zipapp; it recommends installing the command-line tool in an isolated environment.Read 9 Oct 2026 · virtualenv.pypa.io

Operating systems

The documented tested platforms include Linux, macOS, and Windows; unlisted platforms may work but are not explicitly supported.Read 9 Oct 2026 · virtualenv.pypa.io

Project history

virtualenv was introduced by Ian Bicking in 2007, and PyPA took over its maintenance in 2011.Read 9 Oct 2026 · pypa.io

Python discovery

When selecting a Python version, virtualenv can discover versions managed by pyenv, mise, or asdf and resolve their shims to the real binary.Read 9 Oct 2026 · virtualenv.pypa.io

Python support

It supports CPython 3.9–3.15 and PyPy 3.9–3.11; GraalPy 24.1 and later is supported on Linux and macOS, and RustPython support is experimental.Read 9 Oct 2026 · virtualenv.pypa.io

Release security

Releases publish provenance attestations and CycloneDX SBOMs, with SPDX SBOMs also available for the wheel; the documentation explains how to verify release files.Read 9 Oct 2026 · virtualenv.pypa.io

Release verification limit

A successful release verification ties a file to the release workflow but does not prove that its source is free of bugs or malicious code.Read 9 Oct 2026 · virtualenv.pypa.io

Speed

It caches pre-built install images, so subsequent environment creation takes less than one second, according to its comparison with venv.Read 9 Oct 2026 · virtualenv.pypa.io

Plans and prices

Every virtualenv plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

• Python Package Managers#23 of 277.3