How does pipux differ from 'uv tool'?

[kwaegel]

What is the difference between pipux and uv tool right now?

It looks like UV has support for installing tools now via uv tool install ..., and it would be helpful for people coming from pipx (like myself) to understand why I would pick one over the other.

From cursory inspection, it looks like they're both trying to do the same thing, but uv tool is less full-featured at the moment, and isn't trying for pipx compatibility.

[bulletmark]

I have somewhat been anticipating this question (BTW, note this tool is called pipxu, not pipux).

I created pipxu not long after uv was first introduced. At the time uv only provided venv and pip functionality and I had no idea at that time that the uv devs planned to add pipx functionality. I guess it could be argued that uv tool now supercedes pipxu.

BTW, pipxu is not really pipx compatible. It uses the same verbs for the main commands (i.e. install, uninstall, upgrade, list) but installs the app venvs in it's own directory. That last sentence is exactly true for uv tool as well. So pipx, pipxu, and uv tool all basically provide the same essential functionality, and with very similar commands.

I personally still use pipxu over uv tool. Speed wise, pipxu is written in Python but since it uses uv under the covers it is pretty much as fast as uv tool is. pipxu provides the inject and uninject commands like pipx has, but uv tool does not have. As a developer I also use the ".' shortcut frequently which only pipxu has universally, and I also use the pipxu unique debug command frequently.

As somewhat of an aside comment, I never implemented the run command in pipxu because I thought that command (and concept) was largely useless in pipx given how slow it was. However, uv tool run (i.e. uvx) installs and runs apps extremely quickly so I can really see the value in it mainly because naive users can simply follow an instruction, e.g. uvx ruff check . and not have to worry about installation or PATH issues etc. It is a universally easy way to install and run Python based apps on Linux, Mac, Windows etc.