Speed Up Python Package Installs: Permanently Switch pip to a Domestic Mirror

Introduction

Python developers often rely on pip to install third‑party packages, but downloading from the official PyPI server can be painfully slow or fail due to network restrictions. Switching to a domestic mirror resolves these issues and provides a stable, fast source.

Why Change the Source?

Default packages are fetched from the overseas PyPI server, which suffers from low bandwidth and occasional blocking. Domestic mirrors host identical content on servers within China, offering much higher download speeds and fewer errors.

Common Domestic Mirrors

Typical mirrors include Tsinghua University, Alibaba Cloud, and others. The tutorial uses the Tsinghua mirror as an example.

Step‑by‑Step Configuration (Windows)

Open the C: drive and locate the Users folder.

Enter your user directory (e.g., C:\Users\YourName).

Create a folder named pip if it does not exist.

Inside the pip folder, create a file called pip.ini.

Paste the following configuration into pip.ini (replace the URL with the desired mirror):

[global]
index-url = https://pypi.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/simple

Save the file and restart the command prompt.

After these steps, installing packages with pip install package_name should reach speeds of around 1.6 MB/s.

Conclusion

By permanently switching pip to a domestic mirror, you can avoid slow downloads and errors, making Python development smoother. For temporary use, you can add the -i option with the mirror URL directly in the install command.