eGenix PyRun

eGenix PyRun is an open source, compressed, single file Python compatible run-time, which fits into merely 5 MB on disk.

It can be used to ship pure Python products as a single file on Unix platforms, to create Python Docker images with very small footprint to speed up deployment, or as a neat venv replacement, truly isolating applications from any OS or other Python installations.

We have been using PyRun internally for many years and open sourced it back in 2012, when it was well received and grew a small fan base. In 2024, we are moving the project from our in-house mono-repo to Github and relaunching it, in order to present it to the wider open source and Python community.

Support Python Versions

PyRun currently (actively) supports these Python releases on Unix platforms:

• Python 3.7
• Python 3.8
• Python 3.9
• Python 3.10

For each release, only one patch level version is supported, since PyRun has to patch to the Python source code in order to implement extensions needed to make PyRun more compatible with standard Python.

Please see the top of the Makefile for the patch level releases supported by this release of eGenix PyRun.

Note: PyRun has a long history and includes references to several additional Python releases, but we only actively support the above subset of those at the moment.

Build Dependencies

The following development packages need to be installed on the build system in addition to the compiler suite (names could be slightly different for your system):

• libbz2-devel
• sqlite3-devel
• openssl-devel
• zlib-devel

The tests need a few extra libs:

• libxml2-devel
• libxslt-devel

Building

make build-all will build eGenix PyRun for all supported Python releases and place the results into the 'build-*' directories.

If you want to create distribution files instead, use make all-distributions.

For building just one Python release target, you have to specify the PYTHONFULLVERSION on the make command line:

make build PYTHONFULLVERSION=3.10.13

or

make distribution PYTHONFULLVERSION=3.10.13

Testing

The Makefile has various test targets.

• make test-basic will test the basic functionality of eGenix PyRun.

• make test-pip can be used to test eGenix PyRun against various packages downloaded using pip.

• make test-distribution runs both test-basic and test-pip.

• make test-all-distributions will run test-distribution for all supported Python releases.

• make test-all-pyruns will run test-basic for all supported Python releases.

• make test-ssl tests the PYRUN_HTTPSVERIFY env var.

Roadmap

We have big plans for eGenix PyRun. These are some of the things we have planned:

• Support for Python 3.11 and 3.12 (and beyond)

• Creation of a CLI to more easily install and use PyRun, which will eventually replace the bash script install-pyrun.

• Provision of Alpine based Docker containers with PyRun (instead of a full CPython installation) for use in testing, production and as basis for truly isolated Python based applications.

and longer term:

• Exploring support for new platforms such as Windows or Emscripten.

License

eGenix PyRun itself is made available under the Apache 2.0 license (see COPYRIGHT.NOTICE for details).

Since PyRun is based on Python and creates a custom distribution of Python, the resulting binaries are covered by the combination of the Apache 2.0 license, the Python license (see LICENSE.Python) and other 3rd licenses included in the Python source distribution. The pyrun/ source directory contains the patches we apply to the Python distribution.

Commercial Support

eGenix PyRun is brought to you by eGenix.com Software, Skills and Services GmbH, your boutique consulting and open source specialist, with a strong focus on Python, databases and large scale data applications.

Please contact us for more information.