Does python depend on microsoft visual c++ redistributable?

Question

1. Does python require microsoft visual c++ redistributable to run the code ?

I'm using pyinstaller to compile my .py code into exe. In some systems my exe is asking for microsoft visual c++ redistributable package to run.

2. Does pyinstaller includes microsoft visual c++ redistributable files while making exe ? If no, how can I include those files so that I don't need to install microsoft visual c++ redistributable package into other's system to run my software ?

3. What are the other alternatives to build a standalone software in python ? I'm reading to use other languages along with python.

4. I saw electron js and python can be used together to make desktop application. But how will I distribute that application as a standalone exe ?

Answer 1

Python itself does not depend on the presence of MSVC. You can download a portable Python package, and it will run wherever you copy it. Those are the embeddable ones from https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/

But, Python modules with native extension code inside can depend on MSVC on multiple levels:

• if the native part comes in binary format (.pyd file on Windows), actually that is a .dll, and it may depend on other .dll-s, depending on how it has been built
• if the native part comes as C/C++ source code, it will be built at installation time, typically via a "setup.py", and this procedure will need a C compiler installed on the system

PyInstaller is a different story. First of all, it has a documentation which you may want to read. For example the page What PyInstaller Does and How It Does It clearly gives a direct answer to at least one of your questions:

Bundling to One File

PyInstaller can bundle your script and all its dependencies into a single executable named myscript (myscript.exe in Windows).

There is also a list of packages with known compatibility and known compatibility issues: https://github.com/pyinstaller/pyinstaller/wiki/Supported-Packages, which you may find useful depending on what packages you need.

While it is not a duplicate, this question: How to package a linked DLL and a pyd file into one self contained pyd file? (and another one it links) may be interesting to read.

Answer 2

Of course Python requires MSVC Redistributable, any native Windows program using standard library functions requires it. Obviously, Python uses lots of them and should provide a consistent environment across all extension modules.

However, since Python 3.5 it is bundled with an installer, so there's no need to install it manually. Python installers prior to 3.5 don't include it and I wasn't able to find any clarifications whether it's downloaded during installation or not.

By default Python also enforces extension modules to be compiled with the same (or, since 3.5, compatible) version of MSVC as an interpreter itself. So except for some very rare cases extension modules will also use the same redistributable.

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"Embeddable" Python releases referred by @tevemadar are NOT a "portable Python"! Here's what the documentation says about their usage:

It is intended for acting as part of another application, rather than being directly accessed by end-users.

Note: The embedded distribution does not include the Microsoft C Runtime and it is the responsibility of the application installer to provide this. The runtime may have already been installed on a user’s system previously or automatically via Windows Update, and can be detected by finding ucrtbase.dll in the system directory.

But you still don't need them if you use PyInstaller.

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To check whether or not redistributable files are included in your .exe file you could probably open it with any archiver software and see it for yourself. My guess is that they can be included at least if Python is installed in a single user mode, as in such case they're installed in the Python directory as well.

Other than that, however, you should really ask your questions separately.