Blog

Options

You can compile a Python program to a binary executable file that runs as a stand-alone application using tools like PyInstaller, cx_Freeze, or py2exe (the latter is Windows-only). Among these, PyInstaller is widely used and supports Windows, macOS, and Linux. This guide will focus only on ‘PyInstaller’.

1. Instal PyInstaller

First, you need to install PyInstaller. You can do this using pip:

2. Create the Executable

Navigate to the directory containing your Python script and run PyInstaller from the command line, specifying your script:

Replace yourscript.py with the name of your Python script. The –onefile flag tells PyInstaller to bundle everything into a single executable. Without this flag, PyInstaller creates a folder with the executable and various support files.

3. Retrieve the Executable:

After PyInstaller completes the process, you’ll find the standalone executable in the dist directory inside your current working directory. This executable can be distributed and run on any compatible system without requiring Python to be installed.

4. Note on External Files:

If your Python script relies on external files (like configuration files or other resources), you need to ensure that PyInstaller–add-data option. The syntax varies slightly between Windows and non-Windows platforms.

For example, to include a file config.json located in the same directory as the script:

* On Windows:

* On Linux/maxOS:

This tells PyInstaller to include config.json in the root of the bundled application.

Remember, while PyInstaller creates stand-alone executables, the resulting file can be quite large since it includes a Python interpreter and all necessary modules. Also, the executable is platform-specific, so if you generate it on Windows, it won’t run on Linux or macOS and vice versa. You’ll need to generate separate executables for each target platform you intend to support.