Using virtualenv on Gentoo

When using Python you should always use your package mangager (portage on Gentoo) to install python software. Other tools like pip install would interfere with your system and can damage your local python installation.

But sometimes you need python modules which dont exist or are too old in your distribution. This is where virtualenv is of great help. Install a completely separated python environment with ease. I’m using this for Pelican, my static blog generator.

Install virtualenv:

emerge virtualenv

Setup python environment for pelican:

mkdir ~/virtualenv/pelican -p
cd ~/virtualenv/pelican
virtualenv .

Activate new python env and install pelican stuff:

source ./bin/activate
pip install pelican markdown bs4 typogrify s3cmd