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To delve into the details of WHL files and their types, readers are encouraged to refer to the following article by Mytour.
What is a WHL File?
WHL files are packages stored in Wheel format, a standard package format integrated and used in Python distributions, containing all Python installation files and metadata, including Wheel versions and packaging parameters. WHL files are compressed using Zip file compression.
The Wheel format was introduced in PEP (Python Enhancement Proposal) 427 by Daniel Holth and was accepted in 2012. The format was developed to support faster and more reliable Python software installations instead of rebuilding from source code each time.
WHL files must be moved to the exact location on the target system for installation; otherwise, source distribution is required to be built before installation.
There are 3 types of WHL files:
- Universal Wheel: Contains only Python files, without compiled extensions, supports Python 2 and 3.
- Pure Python Wheel: Contains only Python files and no compiled extensions, does not support Python 2 and 3.
- Platform Wheel : Contains Python files and compiled extensions but does not support Python 2 and 3. This type of Wheel is specific to a platform, such as Windows or macOS, as it contains compiled extensions.
This article has just answered your question about what WHL files are. Hopefully, it has provided you with some new useful information. You can also refer to FAT32, exFAT, NTFS to learn about their formats and how to choose among them. Additionally, if you have any doubts or questions that need clarification, feel free to leave your comments below the article.
