sdist

sdist, short for source distribution, is a distribution archive that contains the source code and metadata needed to build a Python project from source. It is designed to be portable across systems so that users can build and install the package on platforms where pre-built binaries are not available.

sdists are created by packaging tools such as setuptools via the sdist command or other modern build tools that produce a source distribution, often invoked as python setup.py sdist or with commands provided by pyproject-based workflows. The resulting archive is typically a tar.gz on Unix-like systems or a zip file on Windows. The contents are assembled according to configuration files like MANIFEST.in and the project’s metadata, including source files, the setup script or build configuration, and necessary documentation or licenses.

A source distribution usually contains the project’s source code alongside metadata files such as setup.cfg, pyproject.toml, and a METADATA or PKG-INFO file, plus README, LICENSE, and package directories. It may also include tests and additional data needed for building, depending on the configuration and exclusions defined in MANIFEST.in or version control ignore rules. The exact contents are controlled to ensure that a consumer can reproduce a build from source.

In the distribution ecosystem, sdists are one way to distribute Python packages, complementing built distributions like wheels. Pip can install from an sdist URL or local file, and PyPI hosts both sdists and wheels. Sdists enable platform-independent source builds and reproducible installations when a suitable build environment is available.