Using PyInstaller to package PaddleOCR on Ascend 310P environment

Based on PaddlePaddle deployment on Ascend 310P, use PyInstaller to package PaddleOCR.

Scope and prerequisites

Target: Package a PaddleOCR-based CLI program for Ascend 310P NPU runtime.
OS/Arch: Linux x86_64 (example paths use Conda + Python 3.11).
Key versions:
- Python: 3.11 (adjust paths if you use a different version)
- PyInstaller: 6.x or newer
- PaddlePaddle (Ascend build) and runtime for 310P is correctly installed
Tip: Verify environment

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python -V
pyinstaller --version
python -c "import paddle, cv2; print(paddle.__version__, cv2.__version__)"

Spec file

Package with the following test_ocr.spec:

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# -*- mode: python ; coding: utf-8 -*-
from PyInstaller.utils.hooks import copy_metadata, collect_data_files

datas = [('/opt/PaddleX/paddlex', 'paddlex')] # Python package directory of the PaddleX project source code
datas += [('/root/miniconda3/envs/asr_ocr_npu/lib/python3.11/site-packages/paddle', 'paddle')] # Directory of the Paddle PyPI package
datas += collect_data_files('lmdb')
datas += copy_metadata('ftfy')
datas += copy_metadata('lxml')
datas += copy_metadata('opencv-contrib-python')
datas += copy_metadata('pyclipper')
datas += copy_metadata('pypdfium2')
datas += copy_metadata('ultra-infer-npu-python')
datas += copy_metadata('scikit-learn')


a = Analysis(
    ['./test_ocr.py'], # Entry script to be packaged
    pathex=[],
    binaries=[('/root/miniconda3/envs/asr_ocr_npu/lib/python3.11/site-packages/paddle/libs', '.')],  # Directory of Paddle shared libraries
    datas=datas,
    hiddenimports=['cv2', 'pypdfium2', 'ultra_infer', 'paddle.cinn_config'],
    hookspath=[],
    hooksconfig={},
    runtime_hooks=[],
    excludes=[],
    noarchive=False,
    optimize=0,
)
pyz = PYZ(a.pure)

exe = EXE(
    pyz,
    a.scripts,
    [],
    exclude_binaries=True,
    name='test_ocr',
    debug=False,
    bootloader_ignore_signals=False,
    strip=False,
    upx=True,
    console=True,
    disable_windowed_traceback=False,
    argv_emulation=False,
    target_arch=None,
    codesign_identity=None,
    entitlements_file=None,
)
coll = COLLECT(
    exe,
    a.binaries,
    a.datas,
    strip=False,
    upx=True,
    upx_exclude=[],
    name='test_ocr',
)

Build

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pyinstaller ./test_ocr.spec

What each section does

datas: include packages and non-Python assets required at runtime (e.g., ftfy, lxml, opencv-contrib-python).
binaries: include Paddle shared libraries under paddle/libs so the app runs without Paddle preinstalled.
hiddenimports: add modules PyInstaller may miss (e.g., cv2, paddle.cinn_config, ultra_infer).
UPX: reduces size. If startup issues occur, try upx=False.
One-folder vs one-file: this builds a folder via COLLECT; it’s more reliable for large frameworks.