Python Packaging and Distribution

Introduction

Python packaging is essential for distributing your Python projects. It allows you to bundle your code, dependencies, and metadata into a single package that can be easily shared and installed.

Key Concepts

• Package: A directory that contains a special file named __init__.py along with other modules.
• Distribution: A package that can be installed, usually as a .whl or .tar.gz file.
• Metadata: Information about your package like name, version, author, and dependencies.

Creating a Package

To create a package, follow these steps:

1. Create a directory for your package.
2. Add your Python modules.
3. Create a setup.py file.
4. Include a README file.

my_package/
    ├── my_module.py
    ├── __init__.py
    ├── setup.py
    └── README.md

Content of setup.py

from setuptools import setup, find_packages

setup(
    name='my_package',
    version='0.1',
    packages=find_packages(),
    install_requires=[],
    author='Your Name',
    description='A simple example package',
)

Distributing Packages

To distribute your package, you can use setuptools and twine. Follow these steps:

1. Build your package:

python setup.py sdist bdist_wheel

2. Upload to PyPI using Twine:

twine upload dist/*

Best Practices

• Use semantic versioning.
• Maintain a changelog.
• Write clear documentation.
• Test your package before distribution.

FAQ

pip install package_name