FAIL2BAN-PYTHON(1)

🌸 NAME 🌸

fail2ban-python — a helper for Fail2Ban to assure that the same Python is used 💅

ok so picture this: Fail2Ban just needs everybody on the same Python, and this lil cutie is the one who makes sure that happens. that's the whole vibe. bestie behavior honestly 🫶

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

here's how you call it, no cap:

fail2ban-python [option] ... [-c cmd | -m mod | file | -] [arg] ...

and yes, there are options — and they come with corresponding environment variables</> too, iykyk. every single one, incoming 👇

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

• -b — issue warnings about converting bytes/bytearray to str and comparing bytes/bytearray with str or bytes with int. and if you go -bb (yes, double) it issues errors instead of warnings. escalate bestie 💀
• -B — don't write .pyc files on import; also PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE=x
• -c cmd — program passed in as string. heads up: this terminates the option list. periodt.
• -d — turn on parser debugging output. and listen, this one's for experts only, and it only works on debug builds. you've been warned 🙈; also PYTHONDEBUG=x
• -E — ignore PYTHON* environment variables (such as PYTHONPATH). like, all of 'em. not the vibe today ✋
• -h — print this help message and exit (also -? or --help). classic icon behavior 👑
• -i — inspect interactively after running script; forces a prompt even if stdin does not appear to be a terminal; also PYTHONINSPECT=x
• -I — isolate Python from the user's environment (implies -E, -P and -s). it's giving main character energy, alone in its own little world 🦋
• -m mod — run library module as a script. also terminates the option list, so mind where you put it.
• -O — remove assert and __debug__-dependent statements; add .opt-1 before .pyc extension; also PYTHONOPTIMIZE=x
• -OO — do -O changes and also discard docstrings; add .opt-2 before .pyc extension. double optimized, double slay ✨
• -P — don't prepend a potentially unsafe path to sys.path; also PYTHONSAFEPATH. safety first bestie 🎀
• -q — don't print version and copyright messages on interactive startup. shy girl era 🌸
• -s — don't add user site directory to sys.path; also PYTHONNOUSERSITE=x
• -S — don't imply 'import site' on initialization
• -u — force the stdout and stderr streams to be unbuffered; this option has no effect on stdin; also PYTHONUNBUFFERED=x
• -v — verbose (trace import statements); also PYTHONVERBOSE=x. and get this — it can be supplied multiple times to increase verbosity, so you can just keep stacking it, no cap 🔥
• -V — print the Python version number and exit (also --version). when given twice, print more information about the build 👀
• -W arg — warning control; arg is action:message:category:module:lineno; also PYTHONWARNINGS=arg
• -x — skip first line of source, allowing use of non-Unix forms of #!cmd
• -X opt — set implementation-specific option
• --check-hash-based-pycs always|default|never — control how Python invalidates hash-based .pyc files. pick one of those three values, don't freestyle 🫶
• --help-env — print help about Python environment variables and exit
• --help-xoptions — print help about implementation-specific -X options and exit
• --help-all — print complete help information and exit. the full lore drop 📚

🧚 ARGUMENTS 🧚

• file — program read from script file
• - — program read from stdin (default; interactive mode if a tty)
• arg ... — arguments passed to program in sys.argv[1:]

ok tiny reminder bestie: -c cmd and -m mod both terminate the option list, so anything after them is not an option anymore. plan accordingly 💜

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🔮 SEE ALSO 🔮

fail2ban-client(1) — go give her a read too, she's iconic 👑

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and that's the whole page, bestie 🎀 fail2ban-python 1.1.1, dated August 2026 — mwah, go forth and Python responsibly 💖✨