# Zapp
Zapp is a comically-named tool for making Python [zipapps](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0441/).
Zipapps or zapps as we call them (hence the raygun theme) are packagings of Python programs into zip files. It's
comparable to [Pex](https://github.com/pantsbuild/pex/), [Subpar](https://github.com/google/subpar/) and
[Shiv](https://github.com/linkedin/shiv/) in intent, but shares the most with Subpar in particulars as like subpar Zapp
is designed for use with Bazel (and is co-developed with appropriate Bazel build rules).
## A quick overview of zipapps
A Python zipapp is a file with two parts - a "plain" text file with a "shebang" specifying a Python interpreter, followed by a ZIP formatted archive after the newline.
This is (for better or worse) a valid ZIP format archive, as the specification does not preclude prepended data.
When Python encounters a zipapp, it assumes you meant `PYTHONPATH=your.zip -m __main__`.
See [the upstream docs](https://docs.python.org/3/library/zipapp.html#the-python-zip-application-archive-format).
So not only must `zapp` generate a prefix script, it needs to insert a `__main__.py` that'll to your application.
## A quick overview of zapp
Zapp is really two artifacts - `zapp.bzl` which defines `rules_python` (`zapp_binary`, `zapp_test`) macros and implementations.
These Bazel macros work together with the `zappc` "compiler" to make producing zapps from Bazel convenient.
## A demo
So let's give zapp a spin
``` shellsession
$ cd examples
$ cat WORKSPACE
workspace(
name = "zapp_examples",
)
# ...
git_repository(
name = "rules_zapp",
remote = "https://github.com/arrdem/rules_zapp.git",
tag = "0.1.0",
)
$ cat BUILD
load("@rules_zapp//zapp:zapp.bzl",
"zapp_binary",
)
# ...
zapp_binary(
name = "hello_deps",
main = "hello.py",
deps = [
py_requirement("pyyaml"),
]
)
```
In this directory there's a couple of `hello_*` targets that are variously zapped. This one uses an external dependency via `rules_python`'s `py_requirement` machinery.
Let's try `bazel build :hello_deps` to see how it gets zapped.
``` shellsession
$ bazel build :hello_deps
INFO: Analyzed target //:hello_deps (21 packages loaded, 74 targets configured).
INFO: Found 1 target...
INFO: From Building zapp file //:hello_deps:
{'manifest': {'entry_point': 'hello',
'prelude_points': ['zapp.support.unpack:unpack_deps'],
'shebang': '/usr/bin/env python3',
'sources': {'__init__.py': None,
'hello.py': 'hello.py',
'zapp/__init__.py': None,
'zapp/support/__init__.py': None,
'zapp/support/manifest.py': 'external/rules_zapp/zapp/support/manifest.py',
'zapp/support/unpack.py': 'external/rules_zapp/zapp/support/unpack.py',
'zapp/manifest.json': 'bazel-out/k8-fastbuild/bin/hello_deps.zapp-manifest.json'},
'wheels': {'PyYAML-5.4.1-cp39-cp39-manylinux1_x86_64.whl': {'hashes': [],
'source': 'external/my_deps/pypi__pyyaml/PyYAML-5.4.1-cp39-cp39-manylinux1_x86_64.whl'}},
'zip_safe': True},
'opts': {'debug': True,
'manifest': 'bazel-out/k8-fastbuild/bin/hello_deps.zapp-manifest.json',
'output': 'bazel-out/k8-fastbuild/bin/hello_deps'}}
Target //:hello_deps up-to-date:
bazel-bin/hello_deps
INFO: Elapsed time: 0.749s, Critical Path: 0.15s
INFO: 9 processes: 8 internal, 1 linux-sandbox.
INFO: Build completed successfully, 9 total actions
```
Here, I've got the `zapp` compiler configured to debug what it's doing.
This is a bit unusual, but it's convenient for peeking under the hood.
The manifest which `zapp` consumes describes the relocation of files (and wheels, more on that in a bit) from the Bazel source tree per python `import = [...]` specifiers to locations in the container/logical filesystem within the zip archive.
We can see that the actual `hello.py` file (known as `projects/zapp/hello.py` within the repo) is being mapped into the zip archive without relocation.
We can also see that a `PyYAML` wheel is marked for inclusion in the archive.
If we run the produced zipapp -
``` shellsession
$ bazel run :hello_deps
INFO: Analyzed target //projects/zapp/example:hello_deps (0 packages loaded, 0 targets configured).
INFO: Found 1 target...
Target //projects/zapp/example:hello_deps up-to-date:
bazel-bin/projects/zapp/example/hello_deps
INFO: Elapsed time: 0.068s, Critical Path: 0.00s
INFO: 1 process: 1 internal.
INFO: Build completed successfully, 1 total action
INFO: Build completed successfully, 1 total action
- /home/arrdem/.cache/zapp/wheels/PyYAML-5.4.1-cp39-cp39-manylinux1_x86_64.whl
- /home/arrdem/.cache/bazel/_bazel_arrdem/6259d2555f41e1db0292a7d7f00f78ca/execroot/arrdem_source/bazel-out/k8-fastbuild/bin/projects/zapp/example/hello_deps
- /usr/lib/python39.zip
- /usr/lib/python3.9
- /usr/lib/python3.9/lib-dynload
- /home/arrdem/.virtualenvs/source/lib/python3.9/site-packages
hello, world!
I have YAML! and nothing to do with it. /home/arrdem/.cache/zapp/wheels/PyYAML-5.4.1-cp39-cp39-manylinux1_x86_64.whl/yaml/__init__.py
```
Here we can see that zapp when executed unpacked the wheel into a cache, inserted that cached wheel into the `sys.path`, and correctly delegated to our `hello.py` script, which was able to `import yaml` from the packaged wheel! 🎉
## License
Copyright Reid 'arrdem' McKenzie August 2021.
Published under the terms of the MIT license.