Installation

Installation#

This guide covers how to install and set up PolicyEngine Ireland for different use cases.

Prerequisites#

Python: Version 3.10 or higher (3.13 recommended)
Package Manager: uv (recommended) or pip

Option 1: Install from PyPI (Recommended)#

For most users, installing from PyPI is the simplest option:

pip install policyengine-ie

Or using uv (faster):

uv pip install policyengine-ie

Option 2: Development Installation#

If you want to contribute to the project or need the latest development version:

1. Clone the Repository#

git clone https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-ie.git
cd policyengine-ie

2. Install with Development Dependencies#

Using the Makefile (recommended):

make install

Or manually:

uv pip install --system -e .[dev]

3. Verify Installation#

Run the test suite:

make test

Installation Options#

Core Dependencies#

The core installation includes:

policyengine-core - Core microsimulation framework
pandas - Data manipulation
numpy - Numerical computing
pyyaml - Parameter file parsing

Development Dependencies#

When installing with [dev], you also get:

pytest - Testing framework
black - Code formatting
jupyter-book - Documentation generation
plotly - Interactive visualizations

Virtual Environment (Recommended)#

We recommend using a virtual environment to avoid conflicts:

Using venv#

python -m venv policyengine-ie-env
source policyengine-ie-env/bin/activate  # On Windows: policyengine-ie-env\Scripts\activate
pip install policyengine-ie

Using conda#

conda create -n policyengine-ie python=3.13
conda activate policyengine-ie
pip install policyengine-ie

Verify Installation#

Test that PolicyEngine Ireland is working correctly:

from policyengine_ie import IrishTaxBenefitSystem

# Create a system
system = IrishTaxBenefitSystem()
print("PolicyEngine Ireland installed successfully!")
print(f"System has {len(system.entities)} entity types")

Expected output:

PolicyEngine Ireland installed successfully!
System has 5 entity types

Troubleshooting#

Common Issues#

ImportError: No module named ‘policyengine_ie’

Ensure you’ve activated the correct virtual environment
Try reinstalling: pip uninstall policyengine-ie && pip install policyengine-ie

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named ‘policyengine_core’

The core dependency wasn’t installed correctly
Try: pip install policyengine-core>=3.19.0

Permission denied errors

Use --user flag: pip install --user policyengine-ie
Or create a virtual environment (recommended)

Platform-Specific Notes#

Windows

Use Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) for best compatibility
Ensure you have Microsoft Visual C++ Build Tools installed

macOS

May need to install Xcode command line tools: xcode-select --install

Linux

Most distributions work out of the box
May need to install python3-dev package

Next Steps#

Once installed, check out the quickstart guide to begin using PolicyEngine Ireland.

System Requirements#

Memory: 2GB RAM minimum (4GB recommended)
Storage: 500MB free space
Network: Required for downloading government data updates