Overview
The article explains how to distribute Go binaries through Python’s package manager PyPI, making command-line tools installable with simple pip or uv commands. This approach leverages Python’s platform-specific wheel system to automatically deliver the correct binary for each operating system and architecture.
The Breakdown
- Platform-specific wheel files - PyPI uses specially named .whl files (like macosx_11_0_arm64.whl) that contain pre-compiled Go binaries, allowing pip to automatically select the right version for your OS and architecture
- go-to-wheel automation - A tool that compiles Go binaries for multiple platforms and packages them into Python wheels, eliminating manual cross-compilation and packaging work
- SQLite magic number detection - The example tool sqlite-scanner identifies SQLite databases by checking if the first 16 bytes match the exact sequence ‘SQLite format 3\x00’, using concurrent goroutines for fast filesystem scanning
- Universal installation method - Go CLI tools become accessible via ‘uvx package-name’ or ‘pip install’, removing the need to download releases, handle security warnings, or compile from source