uv

101

uv is a fast, modern Python package manager optimized for speed and simplicity—ideal for pentesting and red team workflows where rapid setup matters. It replaces traditional tools like pip, virtualenv, and pip-tools by combining their capabilities into one streamlined utility written in Rust.

With uv, it's easy to create isolated environments, install packages from PyPI or Git repositories, and generate lockfiles for consistent, reproducible tool setups. This makes it well-suited for scenarios where fast deployment and clean dependency management are critical.

Usage

Misc

# Update uv
uv self update

# List available Python versions
$ uv python list

# Install a tool with a specific Python version
$ uv tool install --python 3.13 creds

# Uninstall the specified Python version
$ uv python uninstall 3.13

Packages

# Install a package using the pypi name:
uv tool install DefaultCreds_cheat_sheet

# Install a tool using its GitHub repo:
uv tool install git+https://github.com/Pennyw0rth/NetExec

# Run an installed package
uv run creds search tomcat

# Upgrade a package
uv tool upgrade netexec

Scripts

# Clone the tool's repo
$ sudo git clone https://github.com/ShutdownRepo/targetedKerberoast

# List contents
$ ls targetedKerberoast/
kerberoastables.txt  LICENSE  README.md  requirements.txt  targetedKerberoast.py

# Add the script
$ uv add --script targetedKerberoast.py -r requirements.txt
Updated `targetedKerberoast.py`

The above step added the dependencies metadata within the main script:

$ cat targetedKerberoast.py
#!/usr/bin/env python3
# /// script
# requires-python = ">=3.13"
# dependencies = [
#     "impacket",
#     "ldap3",
#     "pyasn1",
#     "pycryptodome",
#     "rich",
# ]
# ///

# Run the script
$ uv run targetedKerberoast.py

We can edit the shebang to make it easier to run with uv:

# Modify the shebang
$ head -n1 targetedKerberoast.py
#!/usr/bin/env python3
$ head -n1 targetedKerberoast.py
#!/usr/bin/env -S uv run --script

# Copy to a PATH included directory
$ cp targetedKerberoast.py ~/.local/bin

# Run the script globally
$ targetedKerberoast.py

pip

# Create & activate a virtual environment
uv venv ~/.venvs/ad-miner
source ~/.venvs/ad-miner/bin/activate

# Install the package
uv pip install 'git+https://github.com/Mazars-Tech/AD_Miner.git'

# Create a symlink
n -s ~/.venvs/ad-miner/bin/AD-miner  ~/.local/bin/AD-miner

# Execute the package
AD-miner

Resources

• A great tutorial from 0xdf: Python UV for Hackers (video)