Frequently Asked Questions¶
Supported Linux Operating System Distributions
General Questions¶
Q: What is buildpy? Why do I care?¶
A: Seriously, you may not care, but if you use Linux, you probably should. buildpy is only a fantastic utility or tool for anyone who needs to install a specific version of Python on a Linux hardware, virtual machine, or container. It is also something anyone who has to remove and replace a version of Python in machine or machine image.
Q: What the main use cases for buildpy?¶
A: General use cases for buildpy are:
- Use buildpy to find out when new python X.Y version is available (below)
$ buildpy --show os-packages
- You want an easy to use, reliable means of compiling the latest version of Python after release from https://python.org.
$ buildpy --profile default --operation list # list key information
- _Uninstall_: You need to install a version of Python3 you compiled on your machine (not a system Python that came with your distribution)
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Required User Permissions¶
Q: What permissions are required to compile and install python3 with buildpy?¶
A: It depends on what functionality you wish to invoke. buildpy runs the majority of operations under normal user permissions. The exception is when compiling and installing a new version of Python3. This is because buildpy installs a compiled version of Python3 for the entire system; thus, the --install operation requires root level permissions via sudo or assumed by running buildpy as root directly.
The following requires sudo or root permissions:
$ sudo buildpy --install Python3.7 [ --optimizations ]
Q: What happens if I run buildpy as root?¶
A: In essence, nothing changes when you run buildpy directly as root. You are installing a new version of Python3 for the entire system either when running buildpy as sudo or directly via root permissions.
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Python Version Support¶
Q: What python3 versions can I compile and install with buildpy¶
A: It depends on what functionality you wish to invoke. buildpy runs the majority of operations under normal user permissions. The exception is when compiling and installing a new version of Python3. This is because buildpy installs a compiled version of Python3 for the entire system; thus, the --install operation requires root level permissions via sudo or assumed by running buildpy as root directly.
The following requires sudo or root permissions:
$ buildpy --install Python3.7 [ --optimizations ]
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Q: Why do I not just install python3 from my os distribution’s package repository insted of using buildpy?¶
A: That is a bit of a philosophical question, so let’s just stick to hard benefits that are widely accepted. The reason you would use buildpy to compile a custom version of python3 are:
- Compiled Python interpreters are reported to enjoy an approximate 10% execution speed improvement
- You care about upgrading to the latest minor Python3.7 revision when it is released (example: 3.7.2 to 3.7.3).
- You are required to run an older Python version (say, Python 3.4) and a modern machine for testing purposes
- You want to enable custom functionality not enabled in the Python3 binaries installed from your OS distribution’s package repository.
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Q: Does buildpy overwrite the old system-level Python3 version?¶
A: No. Let’s say you have Python3.4 installed by default on a Ubuntu 14.04 system. You want to install the latest Python3.4. At the completion of the installation, Python3.4 will still function for os-dependent subsystems.
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Supported Linux Operating System Distributions¶
Q: If buildpy is written in bash, I can run it on any Linux OS, right?¶
A: Yes and No actually, or as they say in situation like this: it depends.
It depends upon meeting the minimum requirements outlined in the depenencies section. Bash 4.4+ is required as well as a few other critical os packages such as sed, awk, and bc.
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Q: What Redhat-based distributions does buildpy install via an RPM package?¶
A: See the list here. buildpy is also compatible with Amazon Linux 2 when run on EC2 virtual machines.
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Uninstall Python3¶
Q: What Python3 versions can I safely remove from my system with buildpy?¶
A: As a built-in safeguard, buildpy will only remove compiled versions from your system. This is any python installed in /usr/local/. This is location of any python versions compiled from source.
Most if not all system-wide Python binaries install from your Linux distribution’s official package repository reside in /usr/bin; thus, buildpy avoids this location and will not remove python binaries from this location as a precaution.
To initiate the uninstall operation, type the following:
$ sudo buildpy --uninstall Python3.6
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Logging FAQ¶
Q: Which log files does buildpy write to?¶
A: buildpy produces the following log files:
/var/log/buildpy.logcontains summary messages produced during normal operations/var/log/console.logcontains all console messages produced only during compile and install operations
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Miscellaneous Questions¶
Q: Since buildpy requires an Internet connection to download python binaries, does it send any information to you or anyone else?¶
A: None whatsoever. buildpy can actually function fine without any Internet connection if the python binaries are downloaded offline and placed in /tmp so that they used as the source during the install.
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