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HN: Want to ship a native-like launcher for your Python app? Meet PyAppExec (github.com)
3 points by hyperfield 201 days ago
1 comments

PyAppExec is a lightweight cross-platform bootstrapper/launcher for distributing Python desktop applications without freezing them into large binaries with PyInstaller / Nuitka / cx_Freeze.

Instead of bundling Python and all dependencies into a single executable, PyAppExec automatically sets up a virtual environment on first launch, installs dependencies (and optional third-party tools like ffmpeg), and then runs the entry script directly. This avoids antivirus false positives and results in much smaller downloads.

It includes both an installer and a bootstrapper (CLI and GUI variants). Currently Windows-only binaries are available; macOS and Linux builds are in progress.

Use cases include distributing Python tools to non-technical end users, apps that need external binaries, and workflows where update size matters.

GitHub: https://github.com/hyperfield/pyappexec

Demo GIF: https://github.com/hyperfield/pyappexec/blob/v0.4.0/resource... Would appreciate feedback and real-world use-case thoughts.