将系统Python从3.6.2升级到3.6.4，原有virtualenv是否会失效？

Great question—minor Python version upgrades (like within the 3.6.x series) are built to be backward-compatible, so let’s break down what you can expect:

• Core Takeaway: Your existing virtualenvs created with Python 3.6.2 will almost certainly keep working smoothly after upgrading your system Python to 3.6.4. This patch-level update focuses on bug fixes and security patches, not breaking API or ABI changes.

• Why This Works: Virtualenv sets up isolated environments by either symlinking to or copying your system Python’s core files. Since 3.6.2 and 3.6.4 belong to the same major.minor release line, they share identical application binary interfaces (ABI) and stable APIs. Any C extensions installed in your virtualenv were compiled against the 3.6 ABI, which stays consistent across these minor versions.

• Edge Cases to Keep in Mind:

  • If your virtualenv was created with the --copies flag (forcing full copies of Python files instead of symlinks), the virtualenv’s Python binary will remain at 3.6.2 even after the system upgrade. It’ll still function perfectly, but you won’t get the bug fixes from 3.6.4 in that environment unless you recreate it.
  • In extremely rare scenarios, if you have code or dependencies that rely on very specific low-level behavior fixed in 3.6.4, you might notice minor differences—but these are intentional fixes, not breakages.

• Quick Verification Step: After upgrading your system Python, activate your existing virtualenv and run:

  python --version
  

  If it shows 3.6.4, your virtualenv used symlinks and automatically picked up the upgrade. If it shows 3.6.2, it’s using copied files—still safe to use, but consider recreating the environment if you want to benefit from the patch fixes.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者rescdsk