PyInstaller Overview
PyInstaller bundles a Python application and all its dependencies into a single
package. The user can run the packaged app without installing a Python
interpreter or any modules.
Help keeping PyInstaller alive:
Maintaining PyInstaller is a huge amount of work.
PyInstaller development can only continue
if users and companies provide sustainable funding. See
http://www.pyinstaller.org/funding.html for how to support PyInstaller.
:Documentation: https://pyinstaller.readthedocs.io/
:Website: http://www.pyinstaller.org/
:Code: https://github.com/pyinstaller/pyinstaller
:Donate:, https://www.bountysource.com/teams/pyinstaller, Bitcoin: 1JUFjawzWDR7Tc8z9TKXstVFdjkDY9FbtK, more ways to donate … <http://www.pyinstaller.org/donate.html>_
PyInstaller reads a Python script written by you. It analyzes your code
to discover every other module and library your script needs in order to
execute. Then it collects copies of all those files -- including the active
Python interpreter! -- and puts them with your script in a single folder, or
optionally in a single executable file.
PyInstaller is tested against Windows, Mac OS X, and GNU/Linux.
However, it is not a cross-compiler:
to make a Windows app you run PyInstaller in Windows; to make
a GNU/Linux app you run it in GNU/Linux, etc.
PyInstaller has been used successfully
with AIX, Solaris, FreeBSD and OpenBSD,
but is not tested against them as part of the continuous integration tests.
Main Advantages
- Works out-of-the-box with any Python version 3.5-3.7.
- Fully multi-platform, and uses the OS support to load the dynamic libraries,
thus ensuring full compatibility. - Correctly bundles the major Python packages such as numpy, PyQt4, PyQt5,
PySide, Django, wxPython, matplotlib and others out-of-the-box. - Compatible with many 3rd-party packages out-of-the-box. (All the required
tricks to make external packages work are already integrated.) - Libraries like PyQt5, PyQt4, PySide, wxPython, matplotlib or Django are fully
supported, without having to handle plugins or external data files manually. - Working code signing on OS X.
- Bundles MS Visual C++ DLLs on Windows.
Installation
PyInstaller is available on PyPI. You can install it through pip::
pip install pyinstaller
Requirements and Tested Platforms
-
Python:
-
3.5-3.7
-
PyCrypto_ 2.4+ (only if using bytecode encryption)
-
Windows (32bit/64bit):
-
Windows XP or newer.
-
GNU/Linux (32bit/64bit)
-
ldd: Console application to print the shared libraries required
by each program or shared library. This typically can be found in
the distribution-packageglibcorlibc-bin. -
objdump: Console application to display information from
object files. This typically can be found in the
distribution-packagebinutils. -
objcopy: Console application to copy and translate object files.
This typically can be found in the distribution-packagebinutils,
too. -
Mac OS X (64bit):
-
Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) or newer.
Usage
Basic usage is very simple, just run it against your main script::
pyinstaller /path/to/yourscript.py
For more details, see the manual_.
Untested Platforms
The following platforms have been contributed and any feedback or
enhancements on these are welcome.
-
FreeBSD
-
ldd
-
Solaris
-
ldd
-
objdump
-
AIX
-
AIX 6.1 or newer. PyInstaller will not work with statically
linked Python libraries. -
ldd
-
PowerPC GNU/Linux (Debian)
Before using any contributed platform, you need to build the PyInstaller
bootloader, as we do not ship binary packages. Download PyInstaller
source, and build the bootloader::
cd bootloader
python ./waf distclean all
Then install PyInstaller::
python setup.py install
or simply use it directly from the source (pyinstaller.py).
Support
See http://www.pyinstaller.org/support.html for how to find help as well as
for commercial support.
Funding
Maintaining PyInstaller is a huge amount of work.
PyInstaller development can only continue
if users and companies provide sustainable funding. See
http://www.pyinstaller.org/funding.html for how to support PyInstaller.
.. _PyCrypto: https://www.dlitz.net/software/pycrypto/
.. _manual: https://pyinstaller.readthedocs.io/en/latest/