Speed Up Python Package Installs: Manage PyPI Mirrors with Oh My Zsh Plugin

Choosing an appropriate PyPI mirror can significantly speed up package downloads, especially for users in China where network issues may cause slow installs. This article introduces a plugin designed for Oh My Zsh that simplifies managing and switching PyPI mirrors.

Plugin Overview

The PyPI plugin is a simple yet powerful tool built for Oh My Zsh users. It provides commands to quickly switch between different PyPI mirrors and test their connectivity.

Repository: https://github.com/belingud/pypi

Installation Steps

Install via Git

Open a terminal and clone the plugin repository into Oh My Zsh's custom plugins directory:

git clone https://github.com/belingud/pypi ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/pypi

Edit the ~/.zshrc file and add the plugin to the plugin list: plugins=(... pypi ...) After saving, reload the Zsh configuration:

source ~/.zshrc

How to Use

List Available Mirrors

Run pypi list to see all supported PyPI mirrors and their URLs.

pypi list

Switch to a Specific Mirror

Use pypi use <shortname>, where <shortname> is the alias of the mirror. For example, to use Alibaba Cloud's mirror:

pypi use aliyun

Test Mirror Connectivity

Check a mirror's reachability with pypi ping <shortname|url>. Examples:

pypi ping tsinghua

pypi ping https://pypi.org/simple/

Supported Mirrors

pypi:            https://pypi.org/simple/
al iyun          阿里云
tencent         腾讯
huawei          华为
163             网易
volces          火山
cernet          中国教科研网校园联合镜像站
ts inghua       清华大学
sustech         南方科技大学
bfsu            北京外国语大学
nju             南京大学
dnui            大连东软信息学院
pku             北京大学
njtech          南京工业大学
nyist           南阳理工
sjtu            上海交大
zju             浙江大学
jlu             吉林大学
testpypi

Mirrors that are only accessible within a campus intranet are not supported.

Notes

Ensure the short name you enter when switching mirrors is valid.

Use the ping command to verify a mirror's availability before switching.

Getting Help

For detailed usage of each command, add -h or --help to the command, e.g.:

pypi use -h

Conclusion

With the PyPI plugin, you can easily manage and switch PyPI mirrors. For more information or questions, visit the plugin's GitHub page.