# Python venv

17 Hacker News commenters recommended Python venv and 10 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 10 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Built-in tool that isolates each project's Python packages. Simple once set up, but the activation script and shell handling are awkward.

## Why people recommend it

- Keeps separate projects' packages isolated (3 comments): "I've done this for years to keep my individual projects separate and not changing activations when switching directories." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45994344)) "The brilliant part about venvs is that A and B can have their completely separate mutually incompatible environments." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46436236)) "If you are using Python it should be creating separate venv's for different skills." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47615994))
- Built into the standard library (2 comments): "natively supported python solution that was made part of the standard library" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45836257)) "Even the built in venv would've solved most of his issues too." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47449293))
- Simple: create, install with pip, done (2 comments): "It's just fine. You install your packages and use your packages and that's the whole story." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48272476)) "Set up a venv, install with pip, done." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46261050))

## What people warn about

- Clumsy, awkward interface design (3 comments): "the original interface is terrible piece of design" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45873622)) "a weird hack of hardlinks and relative paths that no other language seems to need, and a clumsy two-step dance of a UX" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48450013)) "is a structural UX failure" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48277285))
- Activation script and shell friction (2 comments): "The whole concept of a venv is great! But the concept of needing to source an activation script is... just... completely foreign to me." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46011575)) "venv has always been a pain - ensuring you're always in the right venv, shell support, etc." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46438669))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [uv](https://hackerapproved.com/p/uv.md): 533 recommend
- [pip](https://hackerapproved.com/p/pip.md): 46 recommend
- [Poetry](https://hackerapproved.com/p/poetry.md): 20 recommend
- [virtualenv](https://hackerapproved.com/p/virtualenv.md): 10 recommend
- [pipx](https://hackerapproved.com/p/pipx.md): 10 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Python venv", https://hackerapproved.com/p/venv/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).