Getting ready

Before uploading to the main PyPI site, there is a PyPI test site (https://testpypi.python.org/pypi) you can practice with. This allows developers the opportunity to ensure they know what they are doing with the entire building and uploading process, so they don't break anything on the main site. The test site is cleaned up on a semi-regular basis, so it shouldn't be relied on as a storage site while developing.

In addition, check the long and short descriptions in your setup.py to ensure they are valid. Certain directives and URLs are forbidden and stripped during uploading; this is one reason why it is good to test your project on the PyPI test site to see if there are any problems with your configuration.

Before uploading to PyPI, you need to create a user account. Once you have manually created an account on the web site, you can create a $HOME/.pypirc file to store your username and password. This file will be referenced when uploading so you won't have to manually enter it every time. However, be aware that your PyPI password is stored in plaintext, so if you are concerned about that you will have to manually provide it for every upload.

Once you have a created a PyPI account, you can upload your distributions to PyPI via twine; for new distributions, twine will automatically handle the registration of the project on the site. Install twine as normal using pip.