Reasons to use distutils when packaging C/Python project

Question

I have an open source project containing both Python and C code. I'm wondering that is there any use for distutils for me, because I'm planning to do a ubuntu/debian package. The C code is not something that I could or want to use as Python extension. C and Python programs communicate with TCP/IP through localhost.

So the bottom line here is that while I'm learning packaging, does the usage of distutils specific files only make me more confused since I can't use my C-code as Python extensions? Or should I divide my C and Python functionality to separate projects to be able to understand packaging concepts better?

Answer 1

distutils can be used to install end user programs, but it's most useful when using it for Python libraries, as it can create source packages and also install them in the correct place. For that I would say it's more or less required.

But for an end user Python program you can also use make or whatever you like and are used to, as you don't need to install any code in the Python site-packages directory, and you don't need to put your code onto PyPI and it doesn't need to be accessible from other Python-code.

I don't think distutils will be neither more or less complicated to use in installing an end-user program compared to other tools. All such install/packaging tools are hella-complex, as Cartman would have said.

Answer 2

Because it uses an unified python setup.py install command? distutils, or setuptools? Whatever, just use one of those.

For development, it's also really useful because you don't have to care where to find such and such dependency. As long as it's standard Python/basic system library stuff, setup.py should find it for you. With setup.py, you don't require anymore ./configure stuff or ugly autotools to create huge Makefiles. It just works (tm)