PDM is a modern Python package and dependency manager supporting the latest PEP standards.
PDM addresses the need for a package manager that handles both dependency management and project packaging in a unified tool. It solves the fragmentation problem where developers must combine separate tools like pip, venv, and setuptools. The tool implements a fast dependency resolver optimized for large binary distributions, uses PEP 621 for standardized project metadata in pyproject.toml, and includes a PEP 517 build backend for packaging. It offers a centralized installation cache similar to pnpm to save disk space and improve installation speed, and provides a flexible plugin system for extending functionality.
Developers should choose PDM if they need both dependency management and packaging capabilities in one tool, particularly when working on library projects that require building and distributing packages. It suits projects that want to follow modern Python packaging standards and benefit from a fast resolver for complex dependency trees. Compared to Pipenv, PDM handles packaging and can build wheels, whereas Pipenv only manages dependencies for non-installable applications. Unlike Poetry, which also manages environments and packaging, PDM offers both project-local and centralized virtual environment storage options. Hatch similarly manages multiple environments and packaging but lacks lockfile support, whereas PDM includes lockfile functionality. The tool can also install Python versions directly using python-build-standalone.
The project maintains active test coverage tracking and publishes releases to PyPI. Development activity shows consistent engagement with the codebase through regular workflow testing and community contributions flagged for participation.
