Python - List Outdated Packages

Python3 comes with a list of pre-installed packages which are updated from time to time. It is really easy to list any outdated package with the following command:

pip list --outdated

# Output
Package    Version   Latest     Type
---------- --------- ---------- -----
astroid    2.0.4     2.1.0      wheel
certifi    2018.4.16 2018.11.29 wheel
pylint     2.1.1     2.2.2      wheel
setuptools 40.0.0    40.6.3     wheel
six        1.11.0    1.12.0     wheel

As you can see 5 packages on my machine are outdated.

To update a specific package to the latest version you can use

pip install --upgrade  <PackageName>

# Alternatively you can use the short form
pip install -U <PackageName>

In you don’t want to install each update individually you can use pipdate

# Install pipdate
sudo pip3 install pipdate

# Update all packages
sudo pipdate3

Note for Windows users: Pipdate is already installed by default so you don’t need to install it

Note for Mac users: If you installed Python via homebrew there is no need to use sudo to install pipdate or upgrade packages