The Packaging Gradient

Packaging Library

a module is a single file
standalone module: module that only uses the standard library
a package is a folder of .py (now __init__.py is optional)
a distribution is an archive of zero or more packages
usually built by setuptools
e.g.: Pillow provides PIL package
sdist: source only distribution
great for pure Python packages
wheel: bdist (binary distribution)
includes dependencies as static libraries
upload to PyPI
that explains this command:
python setup.py sdist bdist_wheel upload

pip is meant for libraries and tools
it is a developer tool and expects the developer to handle errors

PEX: Python Executable
runs system Python
anaconda: whole ecosystem
conda install <application>
introduces the whole root file system
freezers: includes embedded Python
usually needs an installer
Chef Omnibus (for enterprise), see GitLab
Userspace Images: includes system libraries
see AppImage
requires Linux
Containers: sandboxed images
see Flatpak, Snappy, Docker
requires Linux and container runtime
Virtual machines: includes kernel
requires hypervisor
Ship the box: includes hardware and software