zipapp

What is zipapp and what does it do?

zipapp creates zip files from directories containing Python files which can be later run by the Python interpreter (the program that runs python code). In short, if you have a folder with Python files, you can bundle them into a single executable zip file.

Command-Line Interface To use it from the command line:

python -m zipapp myapp -m "myapp:main"
python myapp.pyz

This will run the main function from the myapp file inside the myapp.pyz archive.

The command-line arguments to zipapp are as follows:

-o / --output: Specify the output zip file name. (default: <source>.pyz)
-p / --python: Add an interpreter line to be run when the zipfile is executed. Make the file executable on POSIX systems. (default: no interpreter line)
-m / --main: Write a __main__.py file to the archive. It will execute the specified callable function (default: none)
-c / --compress: Compress the files in the archive to reduce its size. (default: no compression)
--info: Display interpreter line in the archive for diagnostic purposes.

Python API The zipapp module defines functions for creating zip archives from directories:

import zipapp
zipapp.create_archive("myapp", "myapp.pyz", interpreter="python3")

This will create a zip file named myapp.pyz from directory myapp using python3 as the interpreter.

Real-World Applications

Creating portable python applications that can be shared and run on any system with Python installed
Distributing libraries as zip files that can be directly imported into other Python projects
Packaging scripts for deployment on servers or embedded systems

Potential Applications

Creating custom installers for python applications
Packaging GUI scripts for easy distribution
Automating tasks with python scripts that can be run from the command line

Creating Application Archives with Python's zipapp Module

What is an Application Archive?

An application archive is a single file that contains all the files needed to run a Python program. It's like a self-contained package that makes it easy to distribute and execute your program on any computer with Python installed.

Creating an Archive from a Directory

To create an archive from a directory, simply use the create_archive() function and provide the source directory as the first argument:

import zipapp

source_dir = "my_program"
target_file = "my_program.pyz"
zipapp.create_archive(source_dir, target=target_file)

This will create a my_program.pyz file containing all the files from the my_program directory.

Setting the Interpreter

You can also specify the Python interpreter to be used when executing the archive:

interpreter = "/usr/bin/python3"
zipapp.create_archive(source_dir, interpreter=interpreter, target=target_file)

This ensures that the program will run with the specified interpreter, even if the user has a different default interpreter installed.

Setting the Main Program

If your archive contains a directory but no __main__.py file, you can specify the main program to be executed:

main = "my_program.module:main"
zipapp.create_archive(source_dir, main=main, target=target_file)

This will make the my_program.module:main function the entry point of the program.

Filtering Files

You can use a filter function to control which files are included in the archive:

def filter_func(path):
    return path.suffix == ".py"

zipapp.create_archive(source_dir, filter=filter_func, target=target_file)

This filter will only include files with the .py extension in the archive.

Compressing Files

By default, files are stored uncompressed in the archive. To compress them, set the compressed argument to True:

zipapp.create_archive(source_dir, compressed=True, target=target_file)

This will reduce the size of the archive, but it may take longer to create and extract.

Real-World Applications

Application archives are useful for:

Distributing programs: Create a single file that can be easily shared and installed on other computers.
Creating portable programs: Run your program on any computer without having to install Python or any dependencies.
Packaging web applications: Combine all the necessary files for a web application into a single archive that can be deployed to a web server.

zipapp - Python Zip Application Archive Format

Introduction

zipapp is a module in Python that allows you to create and work with self-contained Python programs packaged as ZIP archives.

Creating a Standalone Python Application

Create Your Application:
- Create a directory with your application code, including a __main__.py file.
Install Dependencies:
- Install all application dependencies using pip into the application directory:
  python -m pip install -r requirements.txt --target myapp
Package the Application:
- Package your application into a ZIP archive using zipapp:
  python -m zipapp -p "interpreter" myapp
- This creates a myapp.pyz file that contains all the application code and dependencies.

Executing the Application

On Unix, the myapp.pyz file is executable directly.
On Windows, the myapp.pyz[w] file is executable due to Python registering the .pyz and .pyzw extensions.

Modifying the Shebang Line

The shebang line is the first line of the archive, and it specifies the interpreter to use for executing the application.

By default, the interpreter used is /usr/bin/env python.
You can specify a custom interpreter using the -p option when creating the archive:
```
python -m zipapp -p "/usr/bin/python3" myapp
```
Note that you need to ensure the specified interpreter is available on the target system.

Real-World Applications

Distributing cross-platform Python applications as a single file.
Creating portable command-line utilities.
Packaging Python scripts for execution in non-Python environments.

Caveats

C extensions cannot be included in the ZIP archive.
You may need to manually add non-Python dependencies to sys.path if they are not included in the archive.

Python Zip Application Archive Format

A Python zip application archive consists of:

Optional Shebang Line:
- Contains the #! syntax followed by the interpreter path.
- Allows the archive to be executed directly.
Standard ZIP File Data:
- Includes a __main__.py file at the root of the archive.
- Can contain compressed or uncompressed data.

Code Example

# Create an example application
import os

with open("myapp/main.py", "w") as f:
    f.write("print('Hello world!')")

os.system("python -m pip install --target myapp pillow")
os.system("python -m zipapp -p /usr/bin/python3 myapp")

This creates a myapp.pyz file that can be executed using /usr/bin/python3.

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