:mod:`distutils` --- Building and installing Python modules
===========================================================

.. module:: distutils
   :synopsis: Support for building and installing Python modules into an
              existing Python installation.
.. sectionauthor:: Fred L. Drake, Jr. <fdrake@acm.org>


The :mod:`distutils` package provides support for building and installing
additional modules into a Python installation.  The new modules may be either
100%-pure Python, or may be extension modules written in C, or may be
collections of Python packages which include modules coded in both Python and C.

.. deprecated:: 3.3
   :mod:`packaging` replaces Distutils.  See :ref:`packaging-index` and
   :ref:`packaging-install-index`.


User documentation and API reference are provided in another document:

.. seealso::

   :ref:`distutils-index`
      The manual for developers and packagers of Python modules.  This describes
      how to prepare :mod:`distutils`\ -based packages so that they may be
      easily installed into an existing Python installation.  If also contains
      instructions for end-users wanting to install a distutils-based package,
      :ref:`install-index`.


.. trick to silence a Sphinx warning

.. toctree::
   :hidden:

   ../distutils/index
