In Python, a wheel is a binary package format that contains all the necessary files to install a Python library or module. It is a built distribution format, meaning it includes pre-compiled code, making installation faster and more efficient compared to installing from source.

Wheels have the .whl file extension and can be installed using the pip package manager, which is the standard package manager for Python. When you install a library or module using pip, it will automatically download and install the appropriate wheel for your system if it’s available.

Creating a wheel involves packaging the necessary files and metadata into a compressed archive. You can use tools like setuptools or wheel to create wheels from your Python projects. Here’s a basic example of how to create a wheel using setuptools:

1. Create a file named setup.py in your project’s root directory.
2. Inside setup.py, import the necessary modules:

3. Define your package’s metadata, such as name, version, description, etc.:

4. Run the following command in the terminal to generate the wheel:

This command will create a dist directory containing the generated wheel file.

Once you have the wheel file, you can distribute it to others, and they can install it using pip:

Note that wheels are specific to the operating system and Python version they were built for. So, if you distribute a wheel for Windows, it won’t work on Linux or macOS systems. Similarly, a wheel built for Python 3.7 won’t work on Python 3.8. It’s common practice to distribute wheels for multiple platforms and Python versions if you want to support a wider range of users.