PYTHON-CONFIG(1)

📦 version 2.7.18, in ubuntu jammy

💅 PYTHON-CONFIG(1) — General Commands Manual 🎀

okay bestie, so python-config is that girl who just tells you all the build options you need for python C/C++ extensions, or for embedding the interpreter. she doesn't do much, but she does it flawlessly. ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

python-config — output build options for python C/C++ extensions or embedding 💖

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

python-config [ --prefix ] [ --exec-prefix ] [ --includes ] [ --libs ] [
--cflags ] [ --ldflags ] [ --extension-suffix ] [ --configdir ] [ --help
]

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so like, python-config is here to help you compile and link programs, bestie. two whole situations:

  • programs that embed the Python interpreter 👑
  • extension modules that can be loaded dynamically (at run time) into the interpreter 🧚

that's it. that's the job. and she eats every time. 💅

💖 OPTIONS 💖

  • --cflags — prints the C compiler flags. the whole fit. 🔥
  • --ldflags — prints the flags that should be passed to the linker. hand these to the linker and it'll know what's up.
  • --includes — basically --cflags's little sister, but only the -I options (aka the path to the python header files). 🎀
  • --libs — same energy as --ldflags, but only the -l options (the libraries being used). 📚
  • --prefix — prints the prefix (the base directory) under which python can be found. where she lives, basically. 🏠
  • --exec-prefix — prints the prefix used for executable program directories (like bin, sbin, etc). 🏃
  • --extension-suffix — prints the suffix used for extension modules (and yes, including the _d modified for debug builds). 🔍
  • --configdir — prints the path to the configuration directory, the one under which the Makefile, etc. can be found). 📁
  • --help — prints the usage message. classic. we love a helpful queen. 🫶

🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

okay so say you wanna build the singe-file c program prog against the python library, you'd do:

gcc $(python-config --cflags --ldflags) progr.cpp -o progr.cpp

and the same thing but make it a makefile moment:

CFLAGS+=$(shell python-config --cflags)
LDFLAGS+=$(shell python-config --ldflags)
all: progr

and if you wanna build a dynamically loadable python module, do this:

gcc $(python-config --cflags --ldflags) -shared -fPIC progr.cpp
-o progr.so

slay. now go build something iconic. 💅✨

⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

👑 AUTHORS 👑

this manual page was written by Johann Felix Soden <johfel@gmx.de> for the Debian project (and may be used by others). iconic of them fr fr 💖

and that's the whole page bestie, no cap 🫶 this little love letter to python-config was dated November 27, 2011, and it's the PYTHON-CONFIG(1) page from the General Commands Manual. mwah. 😭💅
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