pip install . vs pip install -e .

pip install .

• Builds a wheel from the project, then copies the resulting files into site-packages.
• Source directory and installed copy are independent; edits in the source tree are not seen by the interpreter until you run pip install . again.
• Generates a standard, version-pinned install exactly like one fetched from PyPI.

pip install -e . (editable mode)

• Writes an .egg-link or PEP 660 direct_url.json entry in site-packages that points back to the project directory.

• Adds that directory to easy-install.pth/pip-editable-pth, so import statements resolve to live source files.

• Any modification saved in the project tree is immediately importable without reinstallation.

• Intended for development; packaging metadata is still recorded, and dependencies are installed, but the code itself stays in place.

Practical consequences

• On Prod use