PyInstaller is a program that packages Python programs into stand-alone executables, under Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is designed to be used by Python developers who need to distribute their applications to users who may or may not have Python installed.
PyInstaller is a free and open-source tool for converting Python programs into stand-alone executables. It is designed to be used by Python developers who need to distribute their applications to users who may or may not have Python installed. The program works by analyzing the Python program and collecting the necessary files and libraries needed to run it. It then packages these files into a single executable file that can be run on any machine, regardless of whether or not Python is installed.
PyInstaller supports Python 2.7, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, and 3.7, and can package applications for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It can also package Python programs as single-file executables, which can be useful for distributing applications without revealing the source code.
PyInstaller was first released in 2005, and is currently maintained by a team of volunteers. It has seen steady growth in popularity since its initial release, with over 2 million downloads as of 2020.
PyInstaller has a number of features that make it useful for Python developers. These include:
In this example, we will use PyInstaller to package a simple Python program into a stand-alone executable. The program prints the string "Hello, world!" to the console.
First, we create a file called "hello.py" with the following contents:
print("Hello, world!")
Next, we run the following command to package the program into a stand-alone executable:
pyinstaller hello.py
PyInstaller will create a folder called "dist" containing the executable file. This file can be run on any machine, regardless of whether or not Python is installed.
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PyOxidizer is another tool for packaging Python programs into stand-alone executables. It is designed to be more robust and feature-rich than PyInstaller, but it is still in early development.