I am trying to compile and run the example from https://docs.python.org/3/extending/embedding.html#very-high-level-embedding , but failed.

My environment is Ubuntu 20.04.2 LTS, with system shipped python3.8(statically built), libpython3-dev and libpython3.8-dev packages installed.

What I’ve tried:

main.c :

#define PY_SSIZE_T_CLEAN
#include <Python.h>

int
main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    wchar_t *program = Py_DecodeLocale(argv[0], NULL);
    if (program == NULL) {
        fprintf(stderr, "Fatal error: cannot decode argv[0]n");
        exit(1);
    }
    Py_SetProgramName(program);  /* optional but recommended */
    Py_Initialize();
    PyRun_SimpleString("from time import time,ctimen"
                       "print('Today is', ctime(time()))n");
    if (Py_FinalizeEx() < 0) {
        exit(120);
    }
    PyMem_RawFree(program);
    return 0;
}

From https://docs.python.org/3/extending/embedding.html#compiling-and-linking-under-unix-like-systems, get gcc flags.

tian@tian-B250M-Wind:~$ python3-config --cflags
-I/usr/include/python3.8 -I/usr/include/python3.8  -Wno-unused-result -Wsign-compare -g -fdebug-prefix-map=/build/python3.8-4wuY7n/python3.8-3.8.10=. -specs=/usr/share/dpkg/no-pie-compile.specs -fstack-protector -Wformat -Werror=format-security  -DNDEBUG -g -fwrapv -O3 -Wall
tian@tian-B250M-Wind:~$ python3-config --ldflags
-L/usr/lib/python3.8/config-3.8-x86_64-linux-gnu -L/usr/lib  -lcrypt -lpthread -ldl  -lutil -lm -lm

(I don’t know why python3-config output has some duplicated values, that’s not a typing mistake)

gcc {copy cflags output} -o main main.c /path_to_libpython/libpython3.8.a {copy ld flags output}:

gcc -I/usr/include/python3.8 -I/usr/include/python3.8  -Wno-unused-result -Wsign-compare -g -fdebug-prefix-map=/build/python3.8-4wuY7n/python3.8-3.8.10=. -specs=/usr/share/dpkg/no-pie-compile.specs -fstack-protector -Wformat -Werror=format-security  -DNDEBUG -g -fwrapv -O3 -Wall -o main main.c /usr/lib/python3.8/config-3.8-x86_64-linux-gnu/libpython3.8.a -L/usr/lib/python3.8/config-3.8-x86_64-linux-gnu -L/usr/lib  -lcrypt -lpthread -ldl  -lutil -lm -lm

make test1 gives error, nearly all related to -fPIE error:

/usr/bin/ld: /tmp/ccdMZ2Yk.o: relocation R_X86_64_32 against `.rodata.str1.8' can not be used when making a PIE object; recompile with -fPIE
/usr/bin/ld: /usr/lib/python3.8/config-3.8-x86_64-linux-gnu/libpython3.8.a(obmalloc.o): relocation R_X86_64_32 against `.text.hot' can not be used when making a PIE object; recompile with -fPIE
/usr/bin/ld: /usr/lib/python3.8/config-3.8-x86_64-linux-gnu/libpython3.8.a(initconfig.o): relocation R_X86_64_32 against symbol `_PyRuntime' can not be used when making a PIE object; recompile with -fPIE
/usr/bin/ld: /usr/lib/python3.8/config-3.8-x86_64-linux-gnu/libpython3.8.a(pathconfig.o): relocation R_X86_64_32 against symbol `_Py_path_config' can not be used when making a PIE object; recompile with -fPIE
/usr/bin/ld: /usr/lib/python3.8/config-3.8-x86_64-linux-gnu/libpython3.8.a(preconfig.o): relocation R_X86_64_32 against `.rodata.str1.1' can not be used when making a PIE object; recompile with -fPIE
/usr/bin/ld: /usr/lib/python3.8/config-3.8-x86_64-linux-gnu/libpython3.8.a(pylifecycle.o): relocation R_X86_64_32 against symbol `_PyRuntime' can not be used when making a PIE object; recompile with -fPIE
/usr/bin/ld: /usr/lib/python3.8/config-3.8-x86_64-linux-gnu/libpython3.8.a(pystate.o): relocation R_X86_64_32 against `.rodata.str1.8' can not be used when making a PIE object; recompile with -fPIE
/usr/bin/ld: /usr/lib/python3.8/config-3.8-x86_64-linux-gnu/libpython3.8.a(pythonrun.o): relocation R_X86_64_32 against symbol `_PyParser_Grammar' can not be used when making a PIE object; recompile with -fPIE
/usr/bin/ld: /usr/lib/python3.8/config-3.8-x86_64-linux-gnu/libpython3.8.a(pytime.o): relocation R_X86_64_32S against symbol `PyFloat_Type' can not be used when making a PIE object; recompile with -fPIE
.....

I saw there is a /usr/lib/python3.8/config-3.8-x86_64-linux-gnu/libpython3.8-pic.a and tried link it instead but also failed (log).

Later I tried a Docker image(python:3.10.5-bullseye) with share build python and succeeded.

root@tian-B250M-Wind:/# python3-config --cflags
-I/usr/local/include/python3.10 -I/usr/local/include/python3.10  -Wno-unused-result -Wsign-compare  -DNDEBUG -g -fwrapv -O3 -Wall
root@tian-B250M-Wind:/# python3-config --ldflags
 -L/usr/local/lib  -lcrypt -lpthread -ldl  -lutil -lm -lm

gcc -I/usr/local/include/python3.10 -I/usr/local/include/python3.10  -Wno-unused-result -Wsign-compare  -DNDEBUG -g -fwrapv -O3 -Wall -o main main.c -L/usr/local/lib  -lcrypt -lpthread -ldl  -lutil -lm -lm -lpython3.10

(I add -lpython3.10 in the end)

It compiles and ./main :

root@tian-B250M-Wind:/# ./main
Today is Thu Jul 14 10:39:20 2022

What’s wrong with my compilation for the Ubuntu system shipped, python3.8 one?

Anyway, I just want to validate that I can link the static python library libpythonx.y.a . So if anyone can make that work on a fresh installed machine or with non system shipped python (e.g. self-built static python), I’d like to try.