What is -u used for in the code "pip install numpy -u"

Question

I've searched a lot on the internet but still do not understand what the above line of code does. The question is in the title. Please Explain.

Answer 1

-U is the shortend vervion of --upgrade.

Upgrade all specified packages to the newest available version. The handling of dependencies depends on the upgrade-strategy used.

Answer 2

-U or --upgrade

Upgrades all specified packages to the newest available version.

pip install prefers to leave the installed version as-is unless --upgrade is specified.

https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/cli/pip_install/

Hope this helps

Answer 3

That command means to install the package "numpy" and then upgrade numpy and related packages to the latest version if there's the need. You can see the information on pip's document.

Answer 4

It may depend on the version of pip you're using. For me, there is no -u option:

$ pip --version
pip 22.1.2

$ pip install numpy -u

Usage:
  pip3 install [options]  [package-index-options] ...
  pip3 install [options] -r  [package-index-options] ...
  pip3 install [options] [-e]  ...
  pip3 install [options] [-e]  ...
  pip3 install [options]  ...

no such option: -u

It's possible you mean -U which is short for --upgrade.

$ pip install --help
...
Install Options:
  ...
  -U, --upgrade               Upgrade all specified packages to the newest
                              available version. The handling of dependencies
  ...
...

$ pip install numpy==1.22.0
Collecting numpy==1.22.0
  Using cached numpy-1.22.0-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl (14.7 MB)
Installing collected packages: numpy
Successfully installed numpy-1.22.0

pdunn@CHA-SHITEST11 /c/git/personal/python/pygame/game (master)
$ pip install -U numpy
Requirement already satisfied: numpy ... (1.22.0)
Collecting numpy
  Using cached numpy-1.23.1-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl (14.6 MB)
Installing collected packages: numpy
  Attempting uninstall: numpy
    Found existing installation: numpy 1.22.0
    Uninstalling numpy-1.22.0:
      Successfully uninstalled numpy-1.22.0
Successfully installed numpy-1.23.1

Answer 5

ReadThe Docs: https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/getting-started/#upgrade-a-package

The parameter -u is just the short form of --upgrade