Pip: installing a newer module version with `--user` option
By Emma Johnson •
Scenario:
A python package abc is installed as a system package e.g. to /usr/lib or /usr/local/... (either as sudo pip install abc or via the system package manager).
A higher version of the abc package is installed with pip as a user package: pip install abc --user.
Which version will be effective for that specific user? (ie when a script contains import abc)
1 Answer
Whichever one is in the users $PATH.
which abc will show you which one will run, if you simply ran abc.
echo $PATH will show, in order, the directories that will be checked for the executable with the first location it's found, being used.
If you're within a pipenv then this may modify the behaviour, but the above statements still stand, you just might find you have a different $PATH.
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