How to Lock Package Versions in Streamlit Applications in Keboola (Deploying from Git Repository)

How to Lock Package Versions
Example requirements.txt for a Streamlit App
Best Practices for Managing Dependencies

This guide explains how to lock package versions in Streamlit applications deployed from a GIT repository in the Keboola platform.

Locking package versions is essential for:

Stability and compatibility: Avoid disruptions and ensure seamless app functionality by preventing issues with unexpected updates or incompatible package versions.
Reproducibility: Guarantee consistent app behavior across development, testing, and production environments.
Ease of debugging: Simplify troubleshooting and streamline future updates by maintaining a predictable environment.

Follow this tutorial to package a simple Python project, set up the required files and structure, build the package, and upload it to the Python Package Index. For information on installing dependencies, refer to the Streamlit documentation.

How to Lock Package Versions

To ensure your Streamlit app runs reliably in Keboola, follow these steps to lock package versions:

Set up a virtual environment
Install required packages
Generate a requirements.txt file

Set Up a Virtual Environment

Create and activate a Python virtual environment to isolate your app’s dependencies:

python3 -m venv venv

source venv/bin/activate # On Linux/Mac

venv\Scripts\activate # On Windows

Install Required Packages

Install the necessary packages for your Streamlit app:

pip install streamlit pandas numpy

Generate requirements.txt

Generate a requirements.txt file to lock the versions of all installed packages:

pip freeze > requirements.txt

This file lists all installed packages along with their specific versions. It ensures consistent package versions across environments (development and production) and prevents dependency conflicts.

Note: After updating or installing a new dependency, remember to run pip freeze again to update your requirements.txt file.

Example requirements.txt for a Streamlit App

Below is an example optimized for a typical Streamlit app running in Keboola:

streamlit==1.24.0

pandas==1.3.5

numpy==1.21.6

plotly==5.20.0

matplotlib==3.7.2

requests==2.31.0

protobuf==3.19.6

validators==0.20.1

pydeck==0.8.1b0

watchdog==3.0.0

Best Practices for Managing Dependencies

Following these best practices will help you maintain a stable, efficient, and consistent environment for your Streamlit applications in Keboola.

Keep it clean: Include only the necessary packages to keep the environment lightweight.
Update regularly: Periodically update and test dependencies in a development environment before generating a new requirements.txt file.
Test locally: Verify that your app works correctly with the locked package versions in a local environmnet before deploying it in Keboola.
Match environments: Use the same Python version in your local setup with Keboola’s version (Python 3.10) to prevent version mismatches.