The Essential Guide to Installing Python pip on Ubuntu 22.04

As a full-time Python developer, pip is an essential tool in my toolkit for building and deploying applications efficiently. So today, let‘s go through a complete professional‘s guide on installing the acclaimed Python package manager on the latest Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

We will cover installation procedures for both Python generations thoroughly – first looking at the default modern Python 3, followed by steps for enabling legacy Python 2 support.

Why Python and Pip Matter

Before jumping into installation instructions, let‘s examine why Python coupled with pip makes for such a popular technology stack that‘s still highly relevant today.

The Reign of Python

Python first launched back in 1991 as a general purpose programming language. Over 30 years later – it has solidified its position as one of the most widely used languages globally:

• Simple syntax, yet very versatile for tasks from scripting to machine learning
• Supports multiple programming paradigms including object-oriented (OOP), functional and procedural
• Vast collection of over 200,000 third party libraries expand capabilities further still
• Abundance of learning resources online with a supportive helpful community

Some key Python adoption statistics:

• Used by over 59% of professional developers today
• 7th most loved programming language with 88% satisfaction
• 3rd most wanted language that developers aspire to learn

This data underscores Python‘s sustained relevance even among modern alternatives – making it a technology worth investing time in mastering.

Image source: IEEE Spectrum

The Package Management Prowess of Pip

While base Python covers a wide range of fundamentals out the box, we often need additional libraries developed by third parties for added functionality.

This ranges from scientific packages like NumPy, data tools such as Pandas to web frameworks like Django and machine learning libraries such as TensorFlow.

pip makes it almost effortless to:

• Discover useful Python packages for any use case imaginable
• Install and import them with a single line
• Track dependencies and cascading upgrades
• Uninstall when no longer required
• Replicate environments easily across systems

In my experience, pip is the secret weapon that cements Python as my language of choice for rapidly building robust applications.

Having highlighted why Python+pip should be in every modern developer‘s repertoire, let‘s get them installed on Ubuntu.

Step 1 – Update System Packages

As with any software installation, we‘ll start by updating packages on your Ubuntu 22.04 system:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

This syncs your local package index with Ubuntu repositories, fetching metadata on the newest versions. We also download any available upgrades.

Keeping Ubuntu updated ensures:

• Access to latest security fixes
• Resolves any systemic bugs
• Compatibility with newest software

Now we have a solid up-to-date base for Python and pip.

Let‘s discuss our installation approaches next.

Apt vs Pip – Why We Need Both

Seasoned Linux admins may ask – since Ubuntu has its own acclaimed Advanced Packaging Tool (apt), why bother with pip?

The answer is each excels at different, complementary use cases.

apt shines at:

• Installing open source tools packaged for Ubuntu/Debian OS
• Handling base system libraries and kernel dependencies
• OS integrated updates and repairs

However, pip dominates at:

• Python specific libraries not available via apt
• Repeatable installations across machines
• Virtual environment TensorFlowmanagement
• Bleeding edge PyPI package versions

As such I utilize apt for platform components, while leveraging pip for Python libraries. With overlapping use cases, it helps to know what pipes through which!

Now let‘s move forward installing them.

Step 2 – Install pip for Python 3

Modern Ubuntu versions ship with Python 3 set as the default interpreter. It‘s best practice to use Python 3 for all new development, so we‘ll install its pip first.

Enter this command in a terminal:

sudo apt install python3-pip -y

We apt install the python3-pip package specifically here.

This handles any system-level dependencies and sets up pip aligned to our default Python 3 installation.

With Python 3 pip installed, let‘s verify it works as expected.

Step 3 – Check Python 3 pip Version

Validating installations is a key discipline that prevents tricky downstream issues. Let‘s check pip is ready for use:

pip3 --version

This queries the Python 3 version of pip and prints its version:

We can see pip 22.0.4 installed for use with our active Python 3.10 interpreter.

Srceting this upgrade, some key enhancements delivered in pip 22 include:

• Faster package downloads and installs
• Improved dependency resolver
• Support for Python 3.11 ahead of official release

I recommend always using the latest pip for performance and compatibility benefits.

Let‘s try searching for a package next.

Search PyPI for Useful Libraries

With pip functioning, we can start discovering useful Python packages – over 300,000 are available!

For example to search NumPy, a popular array manipulation library used in data science and machine learning:

pip3 search numpy

This queries the entire Python Package Index and matching results for "numpy":

We get a concise listing of descriptions and versions available. Installation is equally simple:

pip3 install numpy

This demonstratives how pip extends Python‘s capabilities – try import numpy in the Python REPL now!

For more usage options:

pip3 help

In addition to Python 3 support, many developers still maintain legacy Python 2 code. So let‘s tackle that next.

Step 4 (Optional) – Install pip for Python 2

While Python 2 reached end-of-life in 2020, some long-running applications still rely on it. If you need pip for Python 2 as well:

Enable Universe Repository

Unlike Python 3, Python 2 is not installed by default anymore. The required packages are in the Universe repository.

Let‘s enable it with:

sudo add-apt-repository universe
sudo apt update

This reveals a broader set of community maintained packages, including old but needed Python 2.

Install Python 2.7

We can now install Python 2.7 itself:

sudo apt install python2 -y

Type y when prompted to confirm the legacy Python 2.7 package:

This sets up python2 and python2.7 interpreters for running Python 2 code.

Setup pip for Python 2

Unfortunately Ubuntu doesn‘t package Python 2‘s pip anymore. We‘ll bootstrap it locally instead with:

curl https://bootstrap.pypa.io/pip/2.7/get-pip.py --output get-pip.py

This script when executed with our Python 2 interpreter will install its pip package manager:

sudo python2 get-pip.py

As you can see, it downloads and compiles additional components to enable full pip functionality:

Now let‘s verify our Python 2 pip release.

Validate Python 2 pip Execution

Run the pip command to check details:

pip2 --version

This confirms we have pip ready for pulling in Python 2 libraries after all these years:

While legacy Python 2 usage is declining annually, this at least enables support for the remainder of systems depending on it currently.

Step 5 – Verify Installations

With pip installed for both major Python branches, let‘s discuss some best practices around post-installation verification.

Get into the habit of actively validating installs rather than assuming success. This saves the heartache of issues downstream hard to debug later.

For Python packages, test:

Import Module: Launch a Python shell with python3 or python2 and use import to load installed packages. Ensure no errors.

Inspect Versions: Use pip to check versions e.g. pip3 list for accuracy with expectations.

Function Usage: Actually utilize a function from the code library to confirm functional behavior.

Here is a real example installing Pandas, a popular data analysis toolkit:

pip3 install pandas
python3
>> import pandas 
>> print(pandas.__version__)
>> df = pandas.DataFrame()
>> df.shape()

This shows:

1. pandas installed via pip
2. Imported without issue
3. Printed expected version
4. Function df.shape() executes correctly

Get into the habit of actively testing imports, functionality calls, versions and more each time – before shipping code relying on packages to production.

Debugging why "package X doesn‘t work" after deployment is vastly more difficult!

Troubleshooting pip Installation Errors

Of course even seasoned engineers occasionally encounter hiccups installing Python packages.

Here is some general guidance to resolve common pip install errors:

Permission denied

Use sudo pip to install system-wide packages. For user space installs instead:

pip install --user pandas

No internet access

Check internet connectivity and retry. For offline installs:

pip install --no-index --find-links /local/folder pandas

Module not found

Likely pip using the wrong Python install. Specify version e.g. python3.8 -m pip

Dependency conflicts

Use virtual environments to isolate package versions between projects.

Command not found

Ensure pip is installed for the intended Python version. Revisit steps above.

For additional troubleshooting, search online referencing your specific package and error message. Over time you gain familiarity resolving common pip issues.

Extra Pip Tips & Best Practices

Let‘s round out our pip foundation with some best practices I apply for Python package management:

Prefer user installs where possible with --user flag. Avoids using sudo for cleaner permissions.

Use virtual environments per project for isolated dependencies via python3 -m venv env. Avoid conflicts.

Download caches with pip download for offline installs later.

Generate requirements files with pip freeze > requirements.txt for repeatable installs across environments.

Set download timeout with --default-timeout=100 option to allow more time for larger package downloads.

Upgrade pip itself regularly for latest fixes and features with python3 -m pip install -U pip. I have it scheduled weekly.

Adopting these tips leads to smoother Python packaging experience.

Conclusion

There you have it – a comprehensive guide covering all aspects to get Python pip running on the latest Ubuntu 22.04 release.

We looked at:

• The continued popularity of Python and pip package manager
• Updating packages on Ubuntu for a latest stable base
• Installing Python 3 pip via apt as the preferred approach
• Enabling legacy Python 2 support
• Bootstrapping associated pip for each Python version
• Validating installs along with troubleshooting techniques
• Useful pip best practices for production environments

You now have the actionable foundation to install 50,000+ Python libraries using pip – take your coding to the next level!

Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy programming!