gpgme/lang/python/docs/GPGMEpythonHOWTOen.org

#+TITLE: GNU Privacy Guard (GnuPG)  Made Easy Python Bindings HOWTO (English)
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#+LATEX_HEADER: \author{Ben McGinnes <ben@gnupg.org>}


* Introduction
  :PROPERTIES:
  :CUSTOM_ID: intro
  :END:

Version: 0.0.1-alpha [2018-03-07 Wed]
Author: Ben McGinnes <ben@gnupg.org>
Author GPG Key: DB4724E6FA4286C92B4E55C4321E4E2373590E5D

This document provides basic instruction in how to use the GPGME
Python bindings to programmatically leverage the GPGME library.


* GPGME Concepts
  :PROPERTIES:
  :CUSTOM_ID: gpgme-concepts
  :END:

** A C API
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: gpgme-c-api
   :END:

   Unlike many modern APIs with which programmers will be more
   familiar with these days, the GPGME API is a C API.  The API is
   intended for use by C coders who would be able to access its
   features by including the =gpgme.h= header file eith their own C
   source code and then access its functions just as they would any
   other C headers.

   This is a very effective method of gaining complete access to the
   API and in the most efficient manner possible.  It does, however,
   have the drawback that it cannot be directly used by other
   languages without some means of providing an interface to those
   languages.  This is where the need for bindings in various
   languages stems.

** Python bindings
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: gpgme-python-bindings
   :END:

   The Python bindings for GPGME provide a higher level means of
   accessing the complete feature set of GPGME itself.  It also
   provides a more pythonic means of calling these API functions.

   The bindings are generated dynamically with SWIG and the copy of
 =gpgme.h= generated when GPGME is compiled.

   This means that a version of the Python bindings is fundamentally
   tied to the exact same version of GPGME used to gemerate that copy
   of =gpgme.h=.

** Difference between the Python bindings and other GnuPG Python packages
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: gpgme-python-bindings-diffs
   :END:

   There have been numerous attempts to add GnuPG support to Python
   over the years.  Some of the most well known are listed here, along
   with what differentiates them.

*** The python-gnupg package maintained by Vinay Sajip
    :PROPERTIES:
    :CUSTOM_ID: diffs-python-gnupg
    :END:

    This is arguably the most popular means of integrating GPG with
    Python.  The package utilises the =subprocess= module to implement
    wrappers for the =gpg= and =gpg2= executables normally invoked on
    the command line (=gpg.exe= and =gpg2.exe= on Windows).

    The popularity of this package stemmed from its ease of use and
    capability in providing the most commonly required features.

    Unfortunately it has been beset by a number of security issues,
    most of which stemmed from using unsafe methods of accessing the
    command line via the =subprocess= calls.

    The python-gnupg package is available under the MIT license.

*** The gnupg package created and maintained by Isis Lovecruft
    :PROPERTIES:
    :CUSTOM_ID: diffs-isis-gnupg
    :END:

    In 2015 Isis Lovecruft from the Tor Project forked and then
    re-implemented the python-gnupg package as just gnupg.  This new
    package also relied on subprocess to call the =gpg= or =gpg2=
    binaries, but did so somewhat more securely.

    However the naming and version numbering selected for this package
    resulted in conflicts with the original python-gnupg and since its
    functions were called in a different manner, the release of this
    package also resulted in a great deal of consternation when people
    installed what they thought was an upgrade that subsequently broke
    the code relying on it.

    The gnupg package is available under the GNU General Public
    License version 3.0 (or later).

*** The PyME package maintained by Martin Albrecht
    :PROPERTIES:
    :CUSTOM_ID: diffs-pyme
    :END:

    This package is the origin of these bindings, though they are
    somewhat different now.  For details of when and how the PyME
    package was folded back into GPGME itself see the [[Short_History.org][Short History]]
    document in this Python bindings =docs= directory.

    The PyME package was first released in 2002 and was also the first
    attempt to implement a low level binding to GPGME.  In doing so it
    provided access to considerably more functionality than either the
 =python-gnupg= or =gnupg= packages.

    The PyME package is only available for Python 2.6 and 2.7.

    Porting the PyME package to Python 3.4 in 2015 is what resulted in
    it being folded into the GPGME project and the current bindings
    are the end result of that effort.

    The PyME package is available under the same dual licensing as
    GPGME itself: the GNU General Public License version 2.0 (or any
    later version) and the GNU Lesser Public License version 2.1 (or
    any later version).


* GPGME Python bindings installation
  :PROPERTIES:
  :CUSTOM_ID: gpgme-python-install
  :END:

** No PyPI
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: do-not-use-pypi
   :END:

   Most third-party Python packages and modules are available and
   distributed through the Python Package Installer, known as PyPI.

   Due to the nature of what these bindings are and how they work, it
   is infeasible to install the GPGME Python bindings in the same way.

** Requirements
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: gpgme-python-requirements
   :END:

   The GPGME Python bindings only have three requirements:

   1. A suitable version of Python 2 or Python 3.  With Python 2 that
      means Python 2.7 and with Python 3 that means Python 3.4 or
      higher.
   2. SWIG.
   3. GPGME itself.  Which also means that all of GPGME's dependencies
      must be installed too.

** Installation
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: installation
   :END:

   Installing the Python bindings is effectively achieved by compiling
   and installing GPGME itself.

   Once SWIG is installed with Python and all the dependencies for
   GPGME are installed you only need to confirm that the version(s) of
   Python you want the bindings installed for are in your =$PATH=.

   By default GPGME will attempt to install the bindings for the most
   recent or highest version number of Python 2 and Python 3 it
   detects in =$PATH=.  It specifically checks for the =python= and
 =python3= executabled first and then checks for specific version
   numbers.

   For Python 2 it checks for these executables in this order:
 =python=, =python2= and =python2.7=.

   For Python 3 it checks for these executables in this order:
 =python3=, =python3.6=, =python3.5= and =python3.4=.

*** Installing GPGME
    :PROPERTIES:
    :CUSTOM_ID: install-gpgme
    :END:

    See the [[../../../README][GPGME README file]] for details of how to install GPGME from
    source.


* Fundamentals
  :PROPERTIES:
  :CUSTOM_ID: howto-fund-a-mental
  :END:

  Before we can get to the fun stuff, there are a few matters
  regarding GPGME's design which hold true whether you're dealing with
  the C code directly or these Python bindings.

** No REST
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: no-rest-for-the-wicked
   :END:

   The first part of which is or will be fairly blatantly obvious upon
   viewing the first example, but it's worth reiterating anyway.  That
   being that this API is /*not*/ a REST API.  Nor indeed could it
   ever be one.

   Most, if not all, Python programmers (and not just Python
   programmers) know how easy it is to work with a RESTful API.  In
   fact they've become so popular that many other APIs attempt to
   emulate REST-like behaviour as much as they are able.  Right down
   to the use of JSON formatted output to facilitate the use of their
   API without having to retrain developers.

   This API does not do that.  It would not be able to do that and
   also provide access to the entire C API on which it's built.  It
   does, however, provide a very pythonic interface on top of the
   direct bindings and it's this pythonic layer with which this HOWTO
   deals with.

** Context
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: howto-get-context
   :END:

   One of the reasons which prevents this API from being RESTful is
   that most operations require more than one instruction to the API
   to perform the task.  Sure, there are certain functions which can
   be performed simultaneously, particularly if the result known or
   strongly anticipated (e.g selecting and encrypting to a key known
   to be in the public keybox).

   There are many more, however, which cannot be manipulated so
   readily: they must be performed in a specific sequence and the
   result of one operation has a direct bearing on the outcome of
   subsequent operations.  Not merely by generating an error either.

   When dealing with this type of persistant state on the web, full of
   both the RESTful and REST-like, it's most commonly referred to as a
   session.  In GPGME, however, it is called a context and every
   operation type has one.


* Copyright and Licensing
  :PROPERTIES:
  :CUSTOM_ID: copyright-and-license
  :END:

** Copyright (C) The GnuPG Project, 2018
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: copyright
   :END:

   Copyright © The GnuPG Project, 2018.

** License GPL compatible
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: license
   :END:

   This file is free software; as a special exception the author gives
   unlimited permission to copy and/or distribute it, with or without
   modifications, as long as this notice is preserved.

   This file is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
   WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law; without even
   the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
   PURPOSE.