It’s quite easy to set up virtual a environment with isolated packages for Python in PowerShell. There are several methods
Method 1. Pipenv
This is the youngest and most convenient method. Pipenv automatically manages the environment and can create virtualenv based on the working directory. Files with virtualenv are stored in a separate directory and the user does not need to worry about them.
Install pipenv package:
python3 -m pip install pipenv
Enter the directory where you’d like to work and type:
pipenv shell
Pipenv will bootstrap and activate the environment. It will launch subshell. If you’d like to leave the environment simply close the shell by command:
exit
Method 2. Using embedded venv
Python 3 contains package venv. It’s often confused with virtualenv which is a standalone package to manage virtual environments. The advantage of the command is that you do not need to install additional packages. Just create a virtual environment in the directory like pyenv:
python3 -m pyenv
Activate the environment:
.\pyenv\Scripts\activate.ps1
To deactivate the environment simply call:
deactivate
Method 3. Good old virtualenv
Creating a virtual environment with virtualenv is an old method. You need to create a directory that will contain the virtual environment and then activate it. virtualenv is not part of the default Python package, it’s necessary to install it:
python3 -m pip install virtualenv
Now it’s possible to create a new virtualenv in a directory like pyenv by the following command:
virtualenv pyenv
The last step is to activate this environment in PowerShell :
.\pyenv\Scripts\activate.ps1
You should see the name of your virtual environment in the command line. The virtual environment is active.
To deactivate the environment simply call:
deactivate