| :mod:`distutils` --- Building and installing Python modules |
| =========================================================== |
| |
| .. module:: distutils |
| :synopsis: Support for building and installing Python modules into an |
| existing Python installation. |
| .. sectionauthor:: Fred L. Drake, Jr. <fdrake@acm.org> |
| |
| |
| The :mod:`distutils` package provides support for building and installing |
| additional modules into a Python installation. The new modules may be either |
| 100%-pure Python, or may be extension modules written in C, or may be |
| collections of Python packages which include modules coded in both Python and C. |
| |
| Most Python users will *not* want to use this module directly, but instead |
| use the cross-version tools maintained by the Python Packaging Authority. |
| Refer to the `Python Packaging User Guide <http://packaging.python.org>`_ |
| for more information. |
| |
| For the benefits of packaging tool authors and users seeking a deeper |
| understanding of the details of the current packaging and distribution |
| system, the legacy :mod:`distutils` based user documentation and API |
| reference remain available: |
| |
| * :ref:`install-index` |
| * :ref:`distutils-index` |