Python-aux

Rebuilt xcframeworks of Python's native C-extension dependencies for iOS and macOS (Apple Silicon). Drop-in replacement for holzschu/Python-aux with updated packages, arm64 Simulator support, and reproducible builds.

Supported Slices

Slice	Architecture	Use
ios-arm64	arm64, iOS SDK	Physical device
ios-arm64-simulator	arm64, iOS Simulator SDK	Apple Silicon Mac simulator
macos-arm64	arm64, macOS SDK	macOS / Python runtime

Package Versions

Package	Version	Notes
OpenSSL	3.4.1	3.4.x LTS; 4.0.0 intentionally excluded
libffi	3.5.2
liblzma (xz)	5.8.3	CVE-2024-3094 clean lineage
zlib	1.3.2
libjpeg-turbo	3.1.4	Replaces libjpeg-9d; API compatible
libpng	1.6.58
libtiff	4.7.1
libheif	1.20.2	1.21.2 excluded: CVE-2026-3950
FreeType	2.14.2
HarfBuzz	10.4.0
GEOS	3.14.1
PROJ	9.8.1
GDAL	3.12.3	cmake-only (3.9+)
libspatialindex	2.1.0
FFTW3	3.3.10
OpenBLAS	0.3.32
libxslt	1.1.45	⚠ End of maintenance Jul 2025
libzmq	4.3.5

xcframeworks

Name	Source
openssl.xcframework	OpenSSL libssl
crypto.xcframework	OpenSSL libcrypto
liblzma.xcframework	xz/liblzma
libffi.xcframework	libffi
libjpeg.xcframework	libjpeg-turbo
libpng.xcframework	libpng
libtiff.xcframework	libtiff
libheif.xcframework	libheif
freetype.xcframework	FreeType
harfbuzz.xcframework	HarfBuzz
libgeos.xcframework	GEOS C++
libgeos_c.xcframework	GEOS C API
libproj.xcframework	PROJ
libgdal.xcframework	GDAL
libspatialindex.xcframework	libspatialindex C++
libspatialindex_c.xcframework	libspatialindex C API
libfftw3.xcframework	FFTW3
libfftw3_threads.xcframework	FFTW3 threads
openblas.xcframework	OpenBLAS
libxslt.xcframework	libxslt
libexslt.xcframework	libexslt
libzmq.xcframework	libzmq

Requirements

• macOS 14.0+ (Apple Silicon)
• Xcode 16.0+
• cmake 4.0+ (brew install cmake)
• brew install automake libtool pkg-config gcc (for gfortran / non-cmake builds)

Quick Start — Swift Package Manager

// Package.swift
.package(url: "https://github.com/sayzard/python-apple-deps", from: "2.0.0")

Select the frameworks you need in your target's dependencies.

Drop-in Replacement for a-Shell / Carnets

a-Shell uses holzschu/cpython's downloadFrameworks.sh to pull xcframeworks. To switch to this build, edit downloadFrameworks.sh:

# Change:
BASE_URL="https://github.com/holzschu/Python-aux/releases/download/1.0"
# To:
BASE_URL="https://github.com/sayzard/python-apple-deps/releases/download/v1.0.0"

Note: Minimum OS version changed from 14.0 to 16.0. Update your Xcode project's deployment target accordingly.

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/sayzard/python-apple-deps.git
cd Python-aux

# Install prerequisites
brew install cmake automake libtool pkg-config gcc

# Build all packages (30–60 min on Apple Silicon)
./build_all.sh

# Package xcframeworks for distribution
./package_xcframeworks.sh

# Verify
./tests/verify_xcframework.sh

Verification

# Architecture check
file xcframeworks/libgdal.xcframework/ios-arm64/libgdal.framework/libgdal

# Install name check
otool -D xcframeworks/libgdal.xcframework/ios-arm64/libgdal.framework/libgdal

# Dependency check
otool -L xcframeworks/libgdal.xcframework/ios-arm64/libgdal.framework/libgdal

Changes from holzschu/Python-aux 1.0

Area	Original	This repo
Package versions	2–5 years old	Latest stable (2026)
iOS Simulator	x86_64 only	arm64 (Apple Silicon native)
Min deployment target	iOS 14.0	iOS 16.0 / macOS 13.0
GDAL build system	autoconf + patches	cmake only (required 3.9+)
libjpeg	libjpeg-9d	libjpeg-turbo 3.1.4
libheif	WIP	1.20.2
zlib	not built	1.3.2
Package.swift	5 products missing	all 21 exposed
Error handling	silent exit 0	set -euo pipefail + trap
CI	none	GitHub Actions

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

Third-party package licenses are documented in THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md.