An Introduction to Python Package Management Tools

Python has many mature packages that can be installed to extend programs.

Developers often search PyPI for packages. PyPI is the Python Package Index for third‑party packages.

Package installation involves tools such as distutils, setuptools, distribute, setup.py, easy_install, and pip.

Python package management tools

Distutils is part of the standard library and provides a simple way to package and install modules via setup.py.

Example setup.py using distutils:

from distutils.core import setup
setup(
   name='fooBar',
   version='1.0',
   author='Will',
   author_email='[email protected]',
   url='http://www.cnblogs.com/wilber2013/',
   py_modules=['foo', 'bar'],
)

Running python setup.py sdist creates a source distribution zip file, which can be installed with python setup.py install .

setuptools and distribute

setuptools extends distutils with dependency management and supports .egg files; distribute was a fork that has merged back.

easy_install

easy_install, based on setuptools/distribute, can install packages from PyPI, local archives, or .egg files.

pip

pip is the most popular package manager, superseding easy_install and relying on setuptools for many functions. It supports installing, uninstalling, and installing from VCS URLs.

Common pip commands include pip install package , pip uninstall package , and pip --help for usage.

Summary

The article clarifies the relationships among Python's packaging tools, helping readers choose the appropriate tool for their needs.