# Build Python from Source

> Free web tool that generates ready-to-use bash scripts for compiling and installing CPython from source on Linux. The user picks a Python version, target distribution, and build options; the tool emits a copy-paste-ready bash script. The system's existing Python is never modified — installations go to a separate prefix (default `/opt/python/<version>/`).

The tool is a single-page application. There is no backend; script generation happens entirely in the browser. The site is available at https://www.build-python-from-source.com/ in seventeen languages.

## What the tool generates

A bash script that, when run on the chosen Linux distribution, will:

1. Install the system packages and build dependencies needed to compile CPython (via `apt`, `dnf`, `yum`, or `zypper` depending on the distro).
2. Download the official Python source tarball from python.org.
3. Run `./configure` with the chosen build flags, then `make` and `make altinstall` (so the system Python remains untouched).
4. Optionally run the test suite, create symlinks, add the new Python to `PATH`, upgrade `pip`, and install Poetry or `uv`.

## Supported Python versions

CPython 2.7, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, 3.14, and 3.15 (beta). The tool always offers the latest patch release within each minor series.

## Supported Linux distributions

- Amazon Linux 2023
- Amazon Linux 2
- RHEL
- CentOS Stream
- AlmaLinux
- Rocky Linux
- Ubuntu
- Debian
- Fedora
- openSUSE
- Raspberry Pi OS

## Build options

- **PGO + LTO** — profile-guided optimization plus link-time optimization (`--enable-optimizations --with-lto`). Recommended for production builds.
- **Shared library (libpython)** — build `libpython` as a shared object (`--enable-shared`).
- **SQLite support** — link against `libsqlite3-dev`.
- **Debug symbols** — `--with-pydebug`.
- **All CPU cores** — `make -j "$(nproc)"`.
- **Test suite** — run `make test` after build.
- **Free-threaded mode (Python 3.13+)** — disable the GIL via `--disable-gil`.
- **Experimental JIT (Python 3.13+)** — enable the experimental JIT via `--enable-experimental-jit`.

## Post-install options

- Create command aliases and symlinks for the new Python.
- Add the new Python to `PATH` (make it the default).
- Upgrade `pip`, `setuptools`, and `wheel`.
- Install Poetry (dependency manager).
- Install `uv` (fast Python package manager).

## Languages

English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Ukrainian, Hindi, Arabic, Japanese, Portuguese, Indonesian, Turkish, Korean, Vietnamese, Persian.

## Key files for AI agents

- [Main page (English)](https://www.build-python-from-source.com/)
- [Sitemap](https://www.build-python-from-source.com/sitemap.xml) — all locale URLs with hreflang annotations.

## License and attribution

Created by [MyDjango.cz](https://www.mydjango.cz) and [WeboveRozhrani.cz](https://www.weboverozhrani.cz). Free to use; no signup, no tracking beyond standard analytics.