uv: The Blazing-Fast Python Package Manager, Written in Rust
If you've ever found yourself waiting for a Python package manager to resolve dependencies or create a virtual environment, you know the pain points of Python tooling. The initial setup can feel sluggish, especially when you're trying to bootstrap a new project quickly or set up CI pipelines that need to be efficient.
Enter uv – an extremely fast Python package installer and resolver written in Rust. It's not just incremental improvement; we're talking about orders of magnitude faster performance that might just change how you interact with Python tooling.
What It Does
uv is a drop-in replacement for pip and pip-tools, built by the same team behind Astral (the creators of Ruff, the incredibly fast Python linter). At its core, uv handles package installation and dependency resolution, but it does so with performance that puts traditional Python package managers to shame.
Beyond package management, uv also functions as a project manager, capable of creating virtual environments, generating lockfiles, and managing Python versions – essentially wrapping the functionality of tools like virtualenv, pip, pip-tools, and pyenv into a single, cohesive binary.
Why It's Cool
The speed is what immediately stands out. uv isn't just "a bit faster" – it's dramatically faster. The Rust implementation and advanced resolver algorithm mean dependency resolution that happens in seconds instead of minutes. For large projects with complex dependency trees, this is a game-changer.
But the cleverness doesn't stop at raw speed. uv is designed to be compatible with the existing Python ecosystem. It uses the same underlying infrastructure as pip, so you get the same packages from PyPI, but with Rust-powered performance. The command structure will feel familiar if you've used other package managers, making the learning curve surprisingly gentle.
The project management capabilities are particularly slick. Instead of juggling multiple tools for environment management, dependency locking, and Python version switching, uv gives you a unified interface. It's the kind of tool that makes you wonder why Python packaging had to be so fragmented in the first place.
How to Try It
Getting started with uv is straightforward. You can install it via curl:
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
Or if you're on Windows, using PowerShell:
powershell -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"
Once installed, you can start using it immediately. Create and activate a virtual environment:
uv venv
source .venv/bin/activate # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
Install packages just like you would with pip:
uv add requests pandas numpy
Or generate locked requirements from a pyproject.toml:
uv pip compile pyproject.toml -o requirements.txt
Final Thoughts
As someone who's spent more time than I'd like to admit waiting for package installations and dependency resolution, uv feels like the tool Python developers have needed for years. It's not just about saving a few minutes here and there – it's about maintaining flow state when you're in the middle of solving actual problems.
The fact that it comes from the Astral team, who have already proven they understand performance and developer experience with Ruff, gives me confidence this isn't just another flash-in-the-pan tool. If you work with Python regularly, especially in environments where fast CI/CD or quick project bootstrapping matters, uv is absolutely worth adding to your toolkit.
Follow for more cool projects: @githubprojects