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177 lines
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.. _distributing-index:
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###############################
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Distributing Python Modules
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###############################
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:Email: distutils-sig@python.org
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As a popular open source development project, Python has an active
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supporting community of contributors and users that also make their software
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available for other Python developers to use under open source license terms.
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This allows Python users to share and collaborate effectively, benefiting
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from the solutions others have already created to common (and sometimes
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even rare!) problems, as well as potentially contributing their own
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solutions to the common pool.
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This guide covers the distribution part of the process. For a guide to
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installing other Python projects, refer to the
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:ref:`installation guide <installing-index>`.
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.. note::
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For corporate and other institutional users, be aware that many
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organisations have their own policies around using and contributing to
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open source software. Please take such policies into account when making
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use of the distribution and installation tools provided with Python.
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Key terms
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=========
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* the `Python Packaging Index <https://pypi.org>`__ is a public
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repository of open source licensed packages made available for use by
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other Python users
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* the `Python Packaging Authority
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<https://www.pypa.io/>`__ are the group of
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developers and documentation authors responsible for the maintenance and
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evolution of the standard packaging tools and the associated metadata and
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file format standards. They maintain a variety of tools, documentation
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and issue trackers on both `GitHub <https://github.com/pypa>`__ and
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`BitBucket <https://bitbucket.org/pypa/>`__.
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* :mod:`distutils` is the original build and distribution system first added
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to the Python standard library in 1998. While direct use of :mod:`distutils`
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is being phased out, it still laid the foundation for the current packaging
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and distribution infrastructure, and it not only remains part of the
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standard library, but its name lives on in other ways (such as the name
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of the mailing list used to coordinate Python packaging standards
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development).
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* `setuptools`_ is a (largely) drop-in replacement for :mod:`distutils` first
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published in 2004. Its most notable addition over the unmodified
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:mod:`distutils` tools was the ability to declare dependencies on other
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packages. It is currently recommended as a more regularly updated
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alternative to :mod:`distutils` that offers consistent support for more
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recent packaging standards across a wide range of Python versions.
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* `wheel`_ (in this context) is a project that adds the ``bdist_wheel``
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command to :mod:`distutils`/`setuptools`_. This produces a cross platform
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binary packaging format (called "wheels" or "wheel files" and defined in
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:pep:`427`) that allows Python libraries, even those including binary
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extensions, to be installed on a system without needing to be built
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locally.
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.. _setuptools: https://setuptools.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
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.. _wheel: https://wheel.readthedocs.io/
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Open source licensing and collaboration
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=======================================
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In most parts of the world, software is automatically covered by copyright.
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This means that other developers require explicit permission to copy, use,
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modify and redistribute the software.
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Open source licensing is a way of explicitly granting such permission in a
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relatively consistent way, allowing developers to share and collaborate
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efficiently by making common solutions to various problems freely available.
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This leaves many developers free to spend more time focusing on the problems
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that are relatively unique to their specific situation.
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The distribution tools provided with Python are designed to make it
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reasonably straightforward for developers to make their own contributions
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back to that common pool of software if they choose to do so.
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The same distribution tools can also be used to distribute software within
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an organisation, regardless of whether that software is published as open
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source software or not.
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Installing the tools
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====================
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The standard library does not include build tools that support modern
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Python packaging standards, as the core development team has found that it
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is important to have standard tools that work consistently, even on older
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versions of Python.
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The currently recommended build and distribution tools can be installed
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by invoking the ``pip`` module at the command line::
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python -m pip install setuptools wheel twine
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.. note::
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For POSIX users (including Mac OS X and Linux users), these instructions
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assume the use of a :term:`virtual environment`.
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For Windows users, these instructions assume that the option to
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adjust the system PATH environment variable was selected when installing
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Python.
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The Python Packaging User Guide includes more details on the `currently
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recommended tools`_.
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.. _currently recommended tools: https://packaging.python.org/guides/tool-recommendations/#packaging-tool-recommendations
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.. index::
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single: Python Package Index (PyPI)
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single: PyPI; (see Python Package Index (PyPI))
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.. _publishing-python-packages:
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Reading the Python Packaging User Guide
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=======================================
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The Python Packaging User Guide covers the various key steps and elements
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involved in creating and publishing a project:
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* `Project structure`_
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* `Building and packaging the project`_
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* `Uploading the project to the Python Packaging Index`_
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.. _Project structure: \
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https://packaging.python.org/tutorials/distributing-packages/
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.. _Building and packaging the project: \
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https://packaging.python.org/tutorials/distributing-packages/#packaging-your-project
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.. _Uploading the project to the Python Packaging Index: \
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https://packaging.python.org/tutorials/distributing-packages/#uploading-your-project-to-pypi
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How do I...?
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============
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These are quick answers or links for some common tasks.
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... choose a name for my project?
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---------------------------------
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This isn't an easy topic, but here are a few tips:
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* check the Python Packaging Index to see if the name is already in use
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* check popular hosting sites like GitHub, BitBucket, etc to see if there
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is already a project with that name
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* check what comes up in a web search for the name you're considering
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* avoid particularly common words, especially ones with multiple meanings,
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as they can make it difficult for users to find your software when
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searching for it
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... create and distribute binary extensions?
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--------------------------------------------
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This is actually quite a complex topic, with a variety of alternatives
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available depending on exactly what you're aiming to achieve. See the
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Python Packaging User Guide for more information and recommendations.
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.. seealso::
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`Python Packaging User Guide: Binary Extensions
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<https://packaging.python.org/guides/packaging-binary-extensions/>`__
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.. other topics:
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Once the Development & Deployment part of PPUG is fleshed out, some of
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those sections should be linked from new questions here (most notably,
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we should have a question about avoiding depending on PyPI that links to
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https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/mirrors/)
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