Question 1

What is the difference between == and ~= version specifiers?

Accepted Answer

== pins an exact version (flask==2.3.0). ~= allows compatible releases (flask~=2.3.0 allows 2.3.x but not 2.4.0). >= allows any newer version. Use == for reproducible builds, ~= for patch updates, and >= cautiously.

Question 2

Should I pin all dependencies or use ranges?

Accepted Answer

For applications, pin exact versions for reproducibility. For libraries, use ranges to avoid conflicts with other packages. Always use a lock file (pip-tools, poetry.lock) to capture the full dependency tree.

Question 3

How do I export my current environment to requirements.txt?

Accepted Answer

Use pip freeze > requirements.txt. For cleaner output without subdependencies, use pip-compile from pip-tools or pipreqs to scan imports in your code. Poetry users can export with poetry export.

Question 4

What are extras and how do I specify them?

Accepted Answer

Extras are optional dependencies for specific features. Specify them in brackets: fastapi[all], pytest[dev]. This installs the main package plus additional dependencies for that feature set.

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