How to duplicate virtualenv

Question

The easiest way is to use pip to generate a requirements file. A requirements file is basically a file that contains a list of all the python packages you want to install (or have already installed in case of file generated by pip), and what versions they're at.

To generate a requirements file, go into your original virtualenv, and run:

pip freeze > requirements.txt

This will generate the requirements.txt file for you. If you open that file up in your favorite text editor, you'll see something like:

Django==1.3
Fabric==1.0.1
etc...

Now, edit the line that says Django==x.x to say Django==1.3 (or whatever version you want to install in your new virtualenv).

Lastly, activate your new virtualenv, and run:

pip install -r requirements.txt

And pip will automatically download and install all the python modules listed in your requirements.txt file, at whatever versions you specified!

Another option is to use virtualenv-clone package:

A script for cloning a non-relocatable virtualenv.

virtualenvwrapper provides a command to duplicate virtualenv

cpvirtualenv ENVNAME [TARGETENVNAME]

If you are using Anaconda you can just run:

conda create --name myclone --clone myenv

This will copy myenv to the newly created environment called myclone.

Easiest option is using virtualenv-clone package.

To duplicate venv1 to venv2, follow these steps:

1. Install virtualenv-clone in either venv1 or a dummy virtual environment venv_dummy. To create venv_dummy:

   python -m virtualenv venv_dummy
   source venv_dummy/bin/activate
   

2. To install virtualenv-clone:

   (venv_dummy): pip install virtualenv-clone
   

3. To duplicate venv1 to venv2:

   (venv_dummy): virtualenv-clone venv1/ venv2/
   

In case you use pip "venv". I copy pasted the folder holding the virtual environment and manually changed the files in the bin folder of the copied folder. I don't know if its efficient,but it works!