How to Install Pip on Debian 12

Introduction

Pip (Python Installs Packages) is a popular Python package manager application. It retrieves packages from PyPI, a large repository of community-contributed Python packages, and includes the dependencies and libraries needed for each package.

Pip also facilitates Python package management and removal, making it one of the most popular Python package management tools.

In this tutorial, you will learn to install Pip on Debian 12.

Prerequisites

• Debian 12 operating system.
• Access to the terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T).
• An account with root privileges.

Installing Pip on Debian 12

You can install Pip on Debian using one of the two methods:

• Via the apt package manager. We recommend installing Pip from the official Debian repository. The benefits of installing Pip using apt are easier package management, simplified updates, and installation consistency across systems.
• Via a Pip installation script. This method lets you install bleeding-edge Pip versions not available in official repositories. However, updating the app later is a more complex process.

In this tutorial, we will install Pip3, designed for Python 3. Debian 12 ships with Python 3, as Python 2 is deprecated. It is important that the Pip version aligns with your Python version to avoid compatibility issues.

Check if Python 3 is installed on your system by running:

python3 --version

The output states the Python version installed on your system.

If it doesn’t, install Python by running:

sudo apt install python3

After installing Python, move on to the sections below and choose the Pip installation method you prefer.

Method 1: Debian APT Repository

Follow the steps below to install Pip from the official Debian apt repository:

1. Update the package repository to ensure the latest version is installed. Run the command below:

sudo apt update

2. Install the Pip package for Python:

sudo apt install python3-pip -y

3. Verify the installation by checking the Pip version:

pip3 --version

Method 2: Pip Installation Script (get-pip.py)

The second method involves downloading the get-pip.py script using the command line and curl command. The script allows you to install the latest Pip version, which may not be available in Debian’s repository. Follow the steps below:

1. Run the following command to download the script:

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

The command downloads the get-pip.py script and saves it in your current working directory.

2. Run the script to initiate the Pip installation. We will run the script through Python:

sudo python3 get-pip.py