The Magic of Python Virtualenv with System Site Packages

If you are a Python developer, you’ve likely come across the importance of isolating your project dependencies. One powerful tool that simplifies this process is Python Virtualenv.

Virtualenv allows you to create isolated Python environments for each project, ensuring that dependencies are kept separate and don’t interfere with each other. However, there are scenarios where you might want to utilize system site packages within your virtual environments.

When creating a virtual environment, the default behavior is to create an isolated environment where only the packages specified in your project’s requirements are available. This isolation ensures that your project dependencies remain consistent across different environments.

But what if you need to access system-level packages within your virtual environment? This is where the –system-site-packages flag comes into play. By using this flag when creating your virtual environment, you can access system site packages within the isolated environment.