man nuitka (1): the Python compiler

SYNOPSIS

nuitka [,--module/] [,--execute/] [,options/] ,main_module.py/

OPTIONS

--version: show program's version number and exit
-h, --help: show this help message and exit
--module: Create an extension module executable instead of a program. Defaults to off.
--standalone, --portable: Enable standalone mode in build. This allows you to transfer the created binary to other machines without it relying on an existing Python installation. It implies these options: "--recurse-all --recursestdlib". You may also want to use "--pythonflag=no_site" to avoid the "site.py" module. Defaults to off.
--nofreeze-stdlib: In standalone mode by default all modules of standard library will be frozen as bytecode. This compiles them all and as a result compilation time will increase very much.
--python-version=,PYTHON_VERSION/: Major version of Python to be used, one of '2.6', '2.7', '3.2', '3.3', '3.4', or '3.5'. Defaults to what you run Nuitka with (currently 2.7)
--python-debug, --python-dbg: Use debug version or not. Default uses what you are using to run Nuitka, most likely a non-debug version.
--python-flag=,PYTHON_FLAGS/: Python flags to use. Default uses what you are using to run Nuitka, this enforces a specific mode. These are options that also exist to standard Python executable. Currently supported: "-S" (alias nosite), "static_hashes" (not use Randomization), "no_warnings" (do not give Python runtime warnings). Default empty.
--warn-implicit-exceptions: Given warnings for implicit exceptions detected at compile time.

Control the recursion into imported modules:

--recurse-stdlib: Also descend into imported modules from standard library. Defaults to off.
--recurse-none: When --recurse-none is used, do not descend into any imported modules at all, overrides all other recursion options. Defaults to off.
--recurse-all, --recurse-on: When --recurse-all is used, attempt to descend into all imported modules. Defaults to off.
--recurse-to=,MODULE//PACKAGE: Recurse to that module, or if a package, to the whole package. Can be given multiple times. Default empty.
--recurse-not-to=,MODULE//PACKAGE: Do not recurse to that module, or if a package, to the whole package in any case, overrides all other options. Can be given multiple times. Default empty.
--recurse-plugins=,MODULE//PACKAGE, --recurse-directory=,MODULE//PACKAGE: Recurse into that directory, no matter if it's used by the given main program in a visible form. Overrides all other recursion options. Can be given multiple times. Default empty.
--recurse-files=,PATTERN/, --recurse-pattern=,PATTERN/: Recurse into files matching the PATTERN. Overrides all recursion other options. Can be given multiple times. Default empty.

Immediate execution after compilation:

--run, --execute: Execute immediately the created binary (or import the compiled module). Defaults to off.
--debugger, --gdb: Execute inside "gdb" to automatically get a stack trace. Defaults to off.
--execute-with-pythonpath, --keep-pythonpath: When immediately executing the created binary (--execute), don't reset PYTHONPATH. When all modules are successfully included, you ought to not need PYTHONPATH anymore.

Dump options for internal tree:

--dump-xml, --xml: Dump the final result of optimization as XML, then exit.
--display-tree: Display the final result of optimization in a GUI, then exit.

Code generation choices:

--improved, --enhanced: Allow minor deviations from CPython behavior, e.g. better tracebacks, which are not really incompatible, but different.
--file-reference-choice=,FILE_REFERENCE_MODE/: Select what value "__file__" is going to be. With "runtime" (default for standalone binary mode and module mode), the created binaries and modules, use the location of themselves to deduct the value of "__file__". Included packages pretend to be in directories below that location. This allows you to include data files in deployments. If you merely seek acceleration, it's better for you to use the "original" value, where the source files location will be used. With "frozen" a notation "<frozen module_name>" is used. For compatibility reasons, the "__file__" value will always have ".py" suffix independent of what it really is.

Output directory choices:

--output-dir=,DIRECTORY/: Specify where intermediate and final output files should be put. DIRECTORY will be populated with C++ files, object files, etc. Defaults to current directory.
--remove-output: Removes the build directory after producing the module or exe file. Defaults to off.

Debug features:

--debug: Executing all self checks possible to find errors in Nuitka, do not use for production. Defaults to off.
--unstripped, --no-strip, --unstriped: Keep debug info in the resulting object file for better debugger interaction. Defaults to off.
--profile: Enable vmprof based profiling of time spent. Defaults to off.
--graph: Create graph of optimization process. Defaults to off.
--trace-execution: Traced execution output, output the line of code before executing it. Defaults to off.
--recompile-c++-only: Take existing files and compile them again.Allows compiling edited C++ files with the C++ compiler for quick debugging changes to the generated source. Defaults to off. Depends on compiling Python source to determine which files it should look at.
--generate-c++-only: Generate only C++ source code, and do not compile it to binary or module. This is for debugging and code coverage analysis that doesn't waste CPU. Defaults to off.
--experimental: Use features declared as 'experimental'. May have no effect if no experimental features are present in the code. Defaults to off.

Backend C++ compiler choice:

--clang: Enforce the use of clang (needs clang 3.2 or higher). Defaults to off.
--mingw: Enforce the use of MinGW on Windows. Defaults to off.
--msvc=,MSVC/: Enforce the use of specific MSVC version on Windows. Allowed values are e.g. 9.0, 9.0exp, specify an illegal value for a list of installed compilers. Defaults to the most recent version.
-j N, --jobs=,N/: Specify the allowed number of parallel C++ compiler jobs. Defaults to the system CPU count.
--lto: Use link time optimizations if available and usable (g++ 4.6 and higher). Defaults to off.

Tracing features:

--show-scons: Operate Scons in non-quiet mode, showing the executed commands. Defaults to off.
--show-progress: Provide progress information and statistics. Defaults to off.
--show-memory: Provide memory information and statistics. Defaults to off.
--show-modules: Provide a final summary on included modules. Defaults to off.
--verbose: Output details of actions taken, esp. in optimizations. Can become a lot. Defaults to off.

Windows specific output control:

--windows-disable-console: When compiling for Windows, disable the console window. Defaults to off.
--windows-icon=,ICON_PATH/, --icon=,ICON_PATH/: Add executable icon (Windows only).

Plugin control:

--plugin-enable=,PLUGINS_ENABLED/, --enable-plugin=,PLUGINS_ENABLED/: Enabled plugins. Must be plug-in names. Use --pluginlist to query the full list and exit. Default empty.
--plugin-disable=,PLUGINS_DISABLED/, --disable-plugin=,PLUGINS_DISABLED/: Disabled plugins. Must be plug-in names. Use --pluginlist to query the full list and exit. Default empty.
--plugin-no-detection: Plugins can detect if they might be used, and the you can disable the warning via --plugin-disable=,pluginthat-warned/, or you can use this option to disable the mechanism entirely, which also speeds up compilation slightly of course as this detection code is run in vain once you are certain of which plug-ins to use. Defaults to off.

EXAMPLES

Compile a python file "some_module.py" to a module "some_module.so":

: $ nuitka some_module.py

Compile a python program "some_program.py" to an executable "some_program.exe":

: $ nuitka --exe some_program.py

Compile a python program "some_program.py" and the package "some_package" it uses to an executable "some_program.exe":

: $ nuitka --exe --recurse-to=some_package some_program.py

Compile a python program "some_program.py" and all the modules it uses to an executable "some_program.exe". Then execute it immediately when ready:

: $ nuitka --exe --execute --recurse-all some_program.py

Compile a python program "some_program.py" and the modules it uses (even standard library) to an executable "some_program.exe":

: $ nuitka --recurse-all --recurse-stdlib some_program.py --exe

Compile a python program "some_program.py" and the modules it uses to an executable "some_program.exe". Keep the debug information, so valrind, gdb, etc. work nice.

Note: This will *not* degrade performance:

: $ nuitka --unstriped --recurse-all some_program.py --exe

Compile a python program "some_program.py" and the modules it uses to an executable "some_program.exe". Perform all kinds of checks about correctness of the generated C++ and run-time checks.

Note: This will degrade performance and should only be used to debug Nuitka:

: $ nuitka --debug --recurse-all some_program.py --exe

Compile a python program "some_program.py" and the modules it uses to an executable "some_program.exe". Perform all kinds of checks about correctness of the generated C++ and run-time checks. Also use the debug Python library, which does its own checks.