Libxml install error using pip

python

pip-installation

environmental-variables

package-management

byNikita Barsukov·Aug 24, 2024

To quickly resolve the libxml installation error, you need to install libxml2-dev. Execute the right command for your system:

Debian/Ubuntu:

# Never underestimate the power of a coffee on a Monday morning
sudo apt-get install libxml2-dev

Fedora/CentOS/RHEL:

# I would tell you a joke on UDP, but you might not get it
sudo yum install libxml2-devel

macOS (using Homebrew):

# Build a coder. If you brew it, code will come
brew install libxml2 && brew link --force libxml2

Then install libxml using pip:

# Who said pip install was hard?
pip install libxml

If you still encounter issues, set the XML2_CONFIG environment variable to point to the xml2-config path in your shell.

Python development headers: check before install

Before you dive into the installation, verify the presence of Python development headers, especially Python.h. To build correctly, libxml and other packages with C extensions require it.

For Python 2.x, install python-dev:

# The answer to life, universe and the missing Python.h file.
sudo apt-get install python-dev

For Python 3.x, go for python3-dev:

# But first, let us install python3-dev
sudo apt-get install python3-dev

To avoid ambiguity between Python 2 and Python 3, use pip3 for Python 3 packages:

pip3 install libxml

Facing issues regarding zlib? Maybe an "/usr/bin/ld: cannot find -lz" error? Install zlib1g-dev:

sudo apt-get install zlib1g-dev

Deciphering installation errors

When you stumble upon errors, message deciphering is your best friend:

Encountering lxml related errors? You probably need to install libxslt-dev, too:

# And you thought you were done with dependencies!
sudo apt-get install libxslt-dev

Use the -y flag to be a speedy installation guru!

# When 'yes' is your answer to everything
sudo apt-get install libxml2-dev libxslt-dev -y

For Red Hat-based systems, package names differ. Install libxslt-devel along with libxml2-devel:
```
# When you're a Red Hat fan
sudo yum install libxslt-devel -y
```
Challenges persisting? Swapping to an independent Python installation (i.e., Anaconda) might resolve environmental conflicts and build issues:
```
# Switch 'conda' on. Let's mix things up a bit.
conda install -c anaconda libxml2
```