What is setup.py?

setup.py is a Python script used to build and install Python packages. It is typically used in the following way:

1. Write a setup.py script that specifies the package metadata and the build and installation instructions.
2. Run the setup.py script using the python interpreter:

python setup.py install

This will build the package, if necessary, and install it in the Python environment where the python interpreter is running.

The setup.py script can also be used to perform other tasks such as building a distribution package for the package (e.g., a tarball or an egg file), or uploading the package to a package repository.

Here is a simple example of a setup.py script:

from setuptools import setup

setup(
    name='mypackage',
    version='1.0',
    description='My package description',
    author='My Name',
    author_email='[email protected]',
    packages=['mypackage'],
)

This setup.py script specifies metadata for a package called mypackage, such as the package name, version, description, and author information. It also specifies that the package includes a module called mypackage. When the setup.py script is run, it will build and install the mypackage package in the Python environment where the script is run.