How to Install SimPy (It Takes 10 Seconds)

Published on January 11, 2026

The installation process for SimPy is not exactly complicated. Open a terminal. Run one command. Done.

The Command

pip install simpy

That's it. No registration. No licence key. No activation wizard. No sales call to schedule.

Verifying the Installation

Open Python and try this:

import simpy
print(simpy.__version__)

If you see a version number, you're ready to simulate.

Common Variations

Using pip3 (macOS/Linux)

If you have both Python 2 and 3 installed:

pip3 install simpy

In a Virtual Environment (Recommended)

python -m venv myproject
source myproject/bin/activate  # On Windows: myproject\Scripts\activate
pip install simpy

Using conda

conda install -c conda-forge simpy

In a Jupyter Notebook

!pip install simpy

Requirements

SimPy requires Python 3.8 or higher. That's the only dependency. No Java runtime. No C++ redistributables. No mysterious DLLs.

What Gets Installed

SimPy is pure Python. When you install it, you get:

• The core SimPy library
• That's it

The package is small, fast to install, and has no external dependencies. Compare that to commercial simulation software that requires hours of installation, gigabytes of disk space, and the patience of a saint.

Installing Extra Tools

While SimPy handles the simulation, you'll probably want:

pip install simpy matplotlib pandas numpy

• matplotlib - For visualising results
• pandas - For data manipulation and analysis
• numpy - For statistical distributions and random numbers

Troubleshooting

"pip is not recognised"

Python isn't in your system PATH. Either: 1. Reinstall Python and tick "Add to PATH" 2. Use the full path: python -m pip install simpy

"Permission denied"

Use --user flag:

pip install --user simpy

Or run as administrator (not recommended for regular use).

"No matching distribution found"

Your Python version is too old. SimPy needs 3.8+. Check with:

python --version

Your First Simulation

Now that SimPy is installed, test it with the simplest possible simulation:

import simpy

def clock(env, name, tick):
    while True:
        print(f"{name} ticks at {env.now}")
        yield env.timeout(tick)

env = simpy.Environment()
env.process(clock(env, "Fast", 1))
env.process(clock(env, "Slow", 2))
env.run(until=5)

Run it. Watch the output. You've just built your first discrete-event simulation.

Next Steps

Installation done? Time to understand the fundamentals:

• Your First SimPy Simulation
• SimPy in 10 Minutes