Playbook is compiling and installing a whole version of Python

[chriscn]

I've tried this on a few different distros (Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 and Debian 12) and each time it fails with the following:

TASK [paperless_ngx.paperless_ngx : Setup python version used in paperless-ngx venv] *******************************************************************************************************************
included: /Users/ccn510/.ansible/roles/paperless_ngx.paperless_ngx/tasks/base_dependencies/python.yml for paperless.nethercott.co.uk

TASK [paperless_ngx.paperless_ngx : Check if python is already installed with correct version] *********************************************************************************************************
ok: [paperless.nethercott.co.uk] => {"changed": false, "cmd": "/opt/python/3.11/bin/python3.11 --version", "failed_when_result": false, "msg": "[Errno 2] No such file or directory: b'/opt/python/3.11/bin/python3.11'", "rc": 2, "stderr": "", "stderr_lines": [], "stdout": "", "stdout_lines": []}

TASK [paperless_ngx.paperless_ngx : Setting python version] ********************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [paperless.nethercott.co.uk] => {"ansible_facts": {"_python_wanted_version_specific_installed": false}, "changed": false}

/opt/ on the remote host is indeed empty. I'd like to ask if we could take a look at this part of the code as I think it's madness that the playbook is compiling versions of Python from scratch. Surely a symlink is what you're after? Would be interested in the thought process behind this.

[stevenengland]

Hi @chriscn , thank you for bringing this up. For sure an existing python installation is preferred. And if there is a directory containing python with the correct version then you can change the corresponding variable paperless_ngx_dir_python. Often it is /opt/python.

I ended with this approach since there were constellations when which led to wrong results and when there were no suitable installation candidates for the distro/version in use. So my approach was:
Either tell the runbook where the python with correct version is sitting or it will be installed for you.

Maybe it is not the most elegant way but since I switched to this mechanism I had no complaints anymore about failing python things.

Does this make sense?