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Python-NoAdmin

Bootstrap Python without administrator, root, or sudo access.

A cross-platform solution for developers working in restricted environments who need a fully functional Python runtime without elevated privileges.

Python Platform License No Admin

Quick Start

Windows

install.cmd

macOS / Linux

chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

That's it! The installer will:

  1. Download a bootstrap Python (first run only)
  2. Install your chosen Python version to ~/.python-nonadmin
  3. Install pip
  4. Configure your PATH

Advanced Usage

# Install specific version
./install.sh --version 3.11.9

# Force reinstall
./install.sh --force

# List available versions
./install.sh --list

# Uninstall
./install.sh --uninstall

Windows (PowerShell)

# All the same flags work
.\install.cmd --version 3.11.9
.\install.cmd --list
.\install.cmd --uninstall

Features

  • No admin/sudo required – Installs entirely in user-writable directories
  • Cross-platform – Works on Windows, macOS (Intel & Apple Silicon), and Linux (x86_64 & ARM64)
  • Version selection – Install any supported Python version
  • Complete Python – Includes pip and full standard library
  • Virtual environment support – Create isolated environments as usual
  • Self-contained – Uses bundled bootstrap Python, no dependencies

How It Works

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  install.cmd / install.sh                                   │
│  ↓                                                          │
│  Downloads bootstrap Python to bin/python/ (first run)      │
│  ↓                                                          │
│  Runs install.py with bootstrap Python                      │
│  ↓                                                          │
│  install.py downloads target Python version                 │
│  ↓                                                          │
│  Installs to ~/.python-nonadmin                             │
│  ↓                                                          │
│  Configures pip + PATH                                      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Platform-Specific Approaches

Platform Bootstrap Python Target Python
Windows Python embeddable package Python embeddable package
macOS python-build-standalone python-build-standalone
Linux python-build-standalone python-build-standalone

Installation Directory

Platform Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\.python-nonadmin
macOS $HOME/.python-nonadmin
Linux $HOME/.python-nonadmin

Verifying Installation

python --version
pip --version
python -c "import sys; print(sys.executable)"
python examples/demo.py

Activating in Current Session

After installation, either restart your terminal or:

Windows (PowerShell)

. .\scripts\activate.ps1

macOS / Linux

source ./scripts/activate.sh

Creating Virtual Environments

python -m venv myproject-env

# Activate
# Windows: .\myproject-env\Scripts\Activate.ps1
# Unix: source myproject-env/bin/activate

pip install requests flask pandas

Troubleshooting

Windows

Execution policy error:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

Corporate proxy:

$env:HTTP_PROXY = "http://proxy.company.com:8080"
$env:HTTPS_PROXY = "http://proxy.company.com:8080"
.\install.cmd

macOS

Gatekeeper warning:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine ~/.python-nonadmin

Linux

glibc version mismatch:

  • Default builds require glibc 2.17+
  • For very old systems, consider building from source

Platform-Specific Documentation

Use Cases

  • 🏢 Corporate laptops – Work on locked-down enterprise machines
  • 🎓 Academic labs – Develop on shared university computers
  • 🔒 Sandboxed environments – CI/CD pipelines with limited permissions
  • 💾 Portable development – Run Python from USB drives
  • 🧪 Testing – Isolated Python versions for testing

Configuration

Edit config.json to change default Python version and download URLs.

Supported versions (tested):

  • 3.12.8 (default)
  • 3.12.7
  • 3.11.9
  • 3.11.8
  • 3.10.14
  • 3.10.13

Uninstallation

./install.sh --uninstall
# or on Windows:
install.cmd --uninstall

This removes the ~/.python-nonadmin directory. You may also want to clean up shell profile entries manually.

License

MIT License - See LICENSE for details.

Contributing

Contributions welcome!