How to Create a PyPI Package Using Cookiecutter PyPackage

Publishing your Python package to PyPI has never been easier! With Cookiecutter PyPackage, you can generate a fully structured Python package with automated testing, documentation, and CI/CD integration in just a few steps.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

✅ Setting up Cookiecutter PyPackage

✅ Generating a Python package structure

✅ Configuring testing, documentation, and PyPI deployment

✅ Releasing your package 🚀

🔹 Step 1: Install Cookiecutter

If you haven’t installed Cookiecutter, do so with:

pip install -U cookiecutter

🔹 Step 2: Generate Your Python Package

Run the following command to generate a new Python package using Cookiecutter PyPackage:

cookiecutter https://github.com/audreyfeldroy/cookiecutter-pypackage.git

You’ll be prompted to enter details for your package, such as:

• Project name (e.g., my_pypi_package)
• Author name
• Email
• GitHub username

After completing the prompts, Cookiecutter will create a fully structured Python package.

🔹 Step 3: Set Up Version Control

Initialize a Git repository and push the code to GitHub:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin https://github.com/yourusername/my_pypi_package.git
git push -u origin main

🔹 Step 4: Set Up Your Development Environment

To install development dependencies, run:

pip install -r requirements_dev.txt

🔹 Step 5: Test Your Package

Run the tests using pytest or unittest:

pytest

Or if using unittest:

python -m unittest discover

🔹 Step 6: Register Your Package on PyPI

1. Create an account on PyPI.
2. Generate an API token in PyPI under Account Settings → API Tokens.
3. Save your API token securely.

🔹 Step 7: Configure PyPI Deployment with Travis CI

If you want automatic deployment, run this command to encrypt your PyPI password in Travis CI:

travis encrypt --add deploy.password

Then, add Travis CI integration to your GitHub repo.

🔹 Step 8: Publish Your Package to PyPI

Manual Upload:

First, install Twine:

pip install twine

Then, build and upload your package:

python setup.py sdist bdist_wheel
twine upload dist/*

Enter your PyPI username and password when prompted.

Automatic Upload (via GitHub Actions or Travis)

Push a new tag to the main branch, and the package will be published automatically:

git tag v0.1.0
git push origin v0.1.0

🔹 Step 9: Install Your Package

Once uploaded to PyPI, your package can be installed with:

pip install my_pypi_package

🎯 Additional Features in Cookiecutter PyPackage

• ✅ Pre-configured Testing with unittest or pytest
• ✅ Travis CI/CD Support for automated testing & deployment
• ✅ Tox Integration for multi-version compatibility testing
• ✅ Sphinx Documentation for generating API docs
• ✅ bump2version for automatic versioning
• ✅ Command-Line Interface (CLI) support via Click (optional)

🔹 Conclusion

With Cookiecutter PyPackage, you can set up a production-ready Python package in minutes! 🚀

🔗 Helpful Links:

• GitHub Repo: Cookiecutter PyPackage
• Documentation: Read the Docs
• PyPI Guide: Packaging Python Projects

💬 What’s Next?

• Want GitHub Actions for automatic deployment?
• Need pre-commit hooks for linting with ruff?
• Looking for Poetry-based packaging instead of setup.py?

Drop a comment below!