> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.lagerdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Install Wheel

> Install a local Python wheel file on a Lager Box

Upload and install a local Python wheel (`.whl`) into the lager container on a
Lagerbox. Use it to push a locally built package onto a box without publishing it
to an index first — handy for iterating on a box-side library or driver.

Before installing, any previously installed version of the same package is
uninstalled, so the version number does not need to be bumped on every rebuild.
The package name is parsed from the wheel filename per the wheel specification.

## Syntax

```bash theme={null}
lager install-wheel [OPTIONS] WHEEL_PATH
```

## Arguments

| Argument     | Description                              |
| ------------ | ---------------------------------------- |
| `WHEEL_PATH` | Path to the local `.whl` file to install |

## Options

| Option      | Description                                                   |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `--box BOX` | Lagerbox name or IP address (uses the default box if omitted) |

***

## Usage

```bash theme={null}
# Install a locally built wheel on a specific box
lager install-wheel dist/mypackage-0.1.0-py3-none-any.whl --box my-lager-box

# Install on the default box
lager install-wheel dist/mypackage-0.1.0-py3-none-any.whl
```

***

## How It Works

1. **Validates** the file locally: it must exist, end in `.whl`, be readable, and
   be within the box upload size limit.
2. **Acquires the box lock** for the duration of the install. Because the install
   runs `pip install` inside the box container, the lock prevents a concurrent
   `lager python` test from racing on Python/import state. See
   [Box Locking](/source/reference/cli/locking).
3. **Uninstalls** any previously installed version of the package (best effort).
4. **Installs** the uploaded wheel with `pip install --force-reinstall`.

```
Installing mypackage-0.1.0-py3-none-any.whl on my-lager-box...
Uninstalled previous version of mypackage
Successfully installed mypackage
```

***

## Notes

* The wheel is uploaded to the box and installed inside the lager container; it is
  not installed on your local machine.
* The file must have a `.whl` extension and conform to the wheel filename format
  (`name-version-...whl`); the package name is derived from the leading segment.
* For installing or updating the box code itself (not a Python package), use
  [`lager install`](/source/reference/cli/install) and
  [`lager update`](/source/reference/cli/update).

***

## See Also

* [Install](/source/reference/cli/install) — install the Lager Box code onto a box
* [Update](/source/reference/cli/update) — update the Lager Box code
* [Box Config](/source/reference/cli/box-config) — manage Python packages (`box config pip`) and other declarative box configuration