non-root requirement seems too much for an ordinary user of rules_python

[qzmfranklin]

🐞 bug report

Affected Rule

The issue is caused by the rule:

During the loading phase.

Is this a regression?

I don't think so.

Description

Per #713 , rules_python cannot be used by root.

CI systems such as CircleCI and BuildBuddy uses root user by default.

Setting up non-root in those systems aren't very straightforward.

Also, it does not look like a responsibility of an ordinary user of rules_python to have to do this.

🔬 Minimal Reproduction

Example build event:

https://app.buildbuddy.io/invocation/55238174-54c3-459c-8d80-72722f2d00f9

🔥 Exception or Error

Relevant error message:

Error in fail: The current user is root, please run as non-root when using the hermetic Python interpreter. See https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_python/pull/713.

🌍 Your Environment

Operating System:

  
Linux, CentOS8, WSL2-Ubuntu22.04
  

Output of bazel version:

  
6.1.1
  

Rules_python version:

  
1e869d8d945f0b406da65817cf70b4fa3105a0de
  

Anything else relevant?

[nsubiron]

You can disable the error

python_register_toolchains(
    name = ...,
    python_version = ...,
    ignore_root_user_error = True,
)

[faximan]

It is good there is an option to choose but you are choosing between two evils: either you get the pyc cache misses or you have to go out of your way to support non-root builds (e.g. when building in a docker container).

We have opted for the second evil, but it creates so much extra work.

I really wish there was a way to solve the cache issue without this extra requirement.

[phlax]

we hit the same issues - my feeling is that this is just not the responsibility of rule_python to enforce this

[qzmfranklin]

To be fair, it's probably the CPython to blame, as they programmed to produce the .pyc files on the fly.

Not sure if they are willing to make a flag to NOT generate .pyc files on the stdlib on the fly just for this use case, though.

[daixiang0]

You can disable the error

python_register_toolchains(
    name = ...,
    python_version = ...,
    ignore_root_user_error = True,
)

Works for me!

[tsaarni]

When it is not feasible to run as non-root, currently one needs to modify the build files of the project. This is bit clumsy. Could the ignore_root_user_error option be exposed to the user who runs the build of some random project "xyz", which happens to use rules_python internally? What would be the standard approach to do so?

[learnsomethingtoday]

You can disable the error

python_register_toolchains(
    name = ...,
    python_version = ...,
    ignore_root_user_error = True,
)

Works for me!

@daixiang0 / @nsubiron Could you please let me know how and where did u make this edit?

[cpsauer]

^ I think this workaround doesn't suffice for build tools seeking to use rules_python in their implementations, since they aren't the root module. More context over in hedronvision/bazel-compile-commands-extractor#166

It'd be quite valuable to have this just work out of the box. That is, if running as root, fall back to the best behavior you can rather than erroring.

[calebzulawski]

Could this setting at least be overridden with an environment variable? I have a rules_$company module that is used by maybe a dozen separate repos that establishes uniform toolchains and CI scripts among other things. Since the toolchain can only be set by the root module, I have no way of overriding this other than separately tracking the toolchain in each repo.