reorder-python-imports VS pyenv

Two developers on the same python project should also use the same version... with poetry it is straightforward to keep track of dev dependencies. Reorder python imports is an alternative for isort: https://github.com/asottile/reorder_python_imports

We actively use environment managers pyenv, goenv and nvm for managing multiple versions of Python, Golang and NodeJS at Mantis. These provide us with an easily manageable, robust development environments.

Management of different language versions and interpreters is somewhat of a gray area in the Pythonic world as of September 2024, but of course the community has "unofficial" solutions that circumvent this problem. One particular good one is PyEnv, that borrows heavily from ruby's solutions for version management, which is something ruby does very well. PyEnv is basically a collection of shell scripts that help to install and select a specific python version or interpreter, in both global and localized scopes. It works by inserting a directory of shims in the PATH and will rehash the shim according to specific conditions in order to map the python binary (as well as other setup such as mapping pip, switching the PYTHON_VERSION env, etc). This guide will focus on MacOS and the Debian-family linux distros, and will cover setup on both bash and zsh. It will not cover pyenv-win.

In the case of pre-commit hooks, the runtime either has to be installed manually by every user (in the case of Husky) or is handled in Python (in the case of pre-commit). Running Node.js through Python/pyenv introduces an additional layer of complexity, which can lead to issues like OpenSSL library incompatibilities.

Install pyenv or pyenv-win

Let's get some initial setup out of the way, starting by an empty directory and a virtual environment. Create a new directory with any name you like, and a virtual environment with your preferred tool. I personally use Pyenv. It is worth noting that this tutorial was created with Python 3.11.3, and SQLAlchemy version 2.0.27.

If you have a requirement for multiple, specific Python versions, why not just use pyenv?

https://github.com/pyenv/pyenv

For more information visit: pyenv repository

Note that virtual environments assume you are using the same global version of Python. Often, this is not the case and additional tools like pyenv can be used alongside virtual environments when you need to switch between versions of Python itself on your local machine.

Python version manager pyenv