pdm

Installation and Setup

Install it from PyPI:

• Windows
• Linux + macOS

(venv) PS> py -m pip install pdm

(venv) $ python -m pip install pdm

Initialize a project and create pyproject.toml:

$ pdm init

Key Features

• Centralizes project metadata and dependency declarations in pyproject.toml.
• Locks resolved versions in pdm.lock to support reproducible installs across machines and CI systems, and can opt in to the standardized pylock.toml format from PEP 751.
• Manages isolated project environments and retains opt-in support for PEP 582 (__pypackages__), although PEP 582 was rejected and PDM now recommends using virtual environments.
• Downloads and installs Python interpreters through the pdm python command group, so you can set up a version that isn’t already on the machine.
• Organizes dependencies into groups like dev and exports pinned requirements when you need a requirements.txt file.
• Runs tools inside the project environment via pdm run and supports declarative scripts in [tool.pdm.scripts].
• Builds wheels and source distributions through a PEP 517–based build workflow with pdm build.

Usage

Install a Python interpreter that isn’t on your system yet:

$ pdm python install 3.14

Create an environment and select a Python interpreter for the project:

$ pdm venv create --name py314 3.14

Add and remove dependencies:

$ pdm add "httpx>=0.25"
$ pdm remove httpx

Work with groups:

$ pdm add -G dev pytest

Lock the project:

$ pdm lock
$ pdm install # Sync env to the lockfile
$ pdm update  # Refresh locked versions

Define a script inside the environment:

[tool.pdm.scripts]
tests = "pytest -q"

Run the script:

$ pdm run tests

Export pinned requirements:

$ pdm export -o requirements.txt

Or export the standardized PEP 751 lock format:

$ pdm export -f pylock -o pylock.toml

Build distributable artifacts:

$ pdm build

Related Resources

Tutorial

Tool-Agnostic Python Lock Files With PEP 751 and pylock.toml

Learn how PEP 751 standardizes Python lock files with pylock.toml: generate one with pip or uv, install it with uv or pdm, and retire requirements.txt.

intermediate tools

For additional information on related topics, take a look at the following resources:

• How to Manage Python Projects With pyproject.toml (Tutorial)
• Everyday Project Packaging With pyproject.toml (Course)
• Dependency Management With Python Poetry (Tutorial)
• uv vs pip: Managing Python Packages and Dependencies (Tutorial)
• Using Python's pip to Manage Your Projects' Dependencies (Tutorial)
• uv vs pip: Python Packaging and Dependency Management (Course)
• Tool-Agnostic Python Lock Files With PEP 751 and pylock.toml (Quiz)
• How to Manage Python Projects With pyproject.toml (Quiz)
• Managing Dependencies With Python Poetry (Course)
• Dependency Management With Python Poetry (Quiz)
• uv vs pip: Managing Python Packages and Dependencies (Quiz)
• A Beginner's Guide to pip (Course)
• Using Python's pip to Manage Your Projects' Dependencies (Quiz)