How should I structure a Python package that contains Cython code

Question

I\'d like to make a Python package containing some Cython code. I\'ve got the the Cython code working nicely. However, now I want to know how best to package it.

For

Answer 1

All other answers either rely on

• distutils
• importing from Cython.Build, which creates a chicken-and-egg problem between requiring cython via setup_requires and importing it.

A modern solution is to use setuptools instead, see this answer (automatic handling of Cython extensions requires setuptools 18.0, i.e., it's available for many years already). A modern standard setup.py with requirements handling, an entry point, and a cython module could look like this:

from setuptools import setup, Extension

with open('requirements.txt') as f:
    requirements = f.read().splitlines()

setup(
    name='MyPackage',
    install_requires=requirements,
    setup_requires=[
        'setuptools>=18.0',  # automatically handles Cython extensions
        'cython>=0.28.4',
    ],
    entry_points={
        'console_scripts': [
            'mymain = mypackage.main:main',
        ],
    },
    ext_modules=[
        Extension(
            'mypackage.my_cython_module',
            sources=['mypackage/my_cython_module.pyx'],
        ),
    ],
)