Is there a standard way to create Debian packages for distributing Python programs?

Question

There is a ton of information on how to do this, but since "there is more than one way to skin a cat", and all the tutorials/manuals that cover a bit of the process seem to make certain assumptions which are different from other tutorials, I still didn't manage to grasp it.

So far this is what I think I understood.

1. My final goal should be that of creating a "binary" .deb package. Such package will be platform-independent (32/64 bit) as all Python programs are such.
2. To create a "binary" package I need first to create a source package.
3. To create the source package I can use either CDBS or debhelper. Debhelper is the recommended way for beginners.
4. The core of creating a source package is populating the DEBIAN directory in the source directory with a number of files clarifying where files need to be copied, what copyright and licensing scheme they are subject to, what dependencies they have, etc...
5. Step #4 can be largely automated the dh_makecommand if the Python source also comes with a distutils' setup.py script.

Now my questions:

1. Is my understanding of the process correct? Is there anything I am missing, or anything that I got wrong?
2. Step #5 is really the more confusing to me: specifically the two points that remains most obscure to me are:
   • How do I write a setup.py script that install a stand-alone programme? EDIT: By standalone programme I mean a program intended to be used by a desktop user (as opposed to a module which I understand like a collection of functionality to be used by other software after having been imported). In my specific case I would actually need two such "programs": the main software and a separate utility (in effect a second "program" that should be in the same package with the other one).
   • What are the specificities of such a script for DEB packages? The official documentation only seems to deal with RPM and Windows stuff...

BTW: These are the best sources of information that I could find myself so far. If you have anything better than this, please share! :)

• Ubuntu's Python packaging guide
• Creating a .deb package from a python setup.py (it shows the steps, but it doesn't explain them enough for me to follow along)
• ShowMeDo video on "creating a .deb package out of a python program" (it doesn't seem up-to-date and - if I got it right - will produce packages for personal use, without dependencies and without a signed changelog and other key data that will make it incompatible with the Debian policy).

Solution 1

It looks like stdeb will do what you want.

Also, for installing scripts, I strongly recommend distribute's console_scripts entry point support.

Solution 2

This article by Barry Warsaw helped me in getting quite far through the process. I still had to do a lot of searching on the side, though, and I read most of the Ubuntu packaging guide some time in the past.

Having a good setup.py is a really good advice. I found these two guides quite good:

• Hitchhiker's Guide to Packaging
• Distribute documentation

Solution 3

There are several libraries out there which abstract away all the necessary steps and let you transform your Python package into a Debian package with a single command.

Assuming your python package already has the setup.py, in the directory where setup.py is located, you could use:

• stdeb (Already mentioned in this answer, install with pip install stdeb). To create a Debian package, run:

  python setup.py --command-packages=stdeb.command bdist_deb
  

  The output .deb file will be located in the bdist_deb directory.

• fpm (install with gem install --no-ri --no-rdoc fpm). To create a Debian package, run:

  fpm -s python -t deb setup.py
  

• py2deb (install with pip install py2deb). To create a Debian package, run:

  py2deb -r . .
  

Each of these libraries has its own caveats, so you might want to try what works best for you.