Installing Pixi

A simple guide to install Pixi and create a basic project.

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Install Pixi

https://pixi.prefix.dev/latest/installation/

macOS and Linux

curl -fsSL https://pixi.sh/install.sh

Create a folder

mkdir my-project
cd my-project

Create a folder and go into the folder

Initialize pixi

pixi init

This creates a new Pixi project in the current folder.

Add Python and Packages

Add python:

pixi add python

Add a specific Python version:

pixi add python=3.11

Add additional packages:

pixi add numpy pandas

Project Files

Pixi manages two important files:

• pixi.toml – project configuration and dependency declarations

• pixi.lock – exact resolved versions for reproducibility

Create and Activate the Environment

Create and activate the environment defined in pixi.toml:

pixi shell

Reproducible Dependencies (Time-Based)

To ensure packages are no newer than a certain date, use a dated channel snapshot in pixi.toml.

# in your pixi.toml
exclude-newer = "2023-02-01"

Update the Environment

After changing pixi.toml:

pixi install