Setting up DSS Python so that standard users (non-sudoers) can install modules through the web application

[UserBird]

We are using DSS for our data science work and are interested in being able to install Python modules through the web application (for non-sudoers). Is there a way to accomplish this without setting a virtual Python environment? (e.g., changing privilege of certain folders?) Thank you for any help in advance!

[jrouquie]

Hi,

This is not an answer directly to your question, but I would like to point two things:

• DSS sets up a virtual Python environment when it is installed, so you do not need to create one. All Python code from DSS is by default exectued in this environment. which also means that Python packages need to be installed with DATA_DIR/bin/pip instead of the system's pip. See http://doc.dataiku.com/dss/latest/installation/python.html for more information.


• DSS refuses to receive root privileges, to be more secure.  So you don't need to be sudoer to make a Python package available to DSS.

Does that help your management of Python packages?

[steveroy226]

Thank you for the quick reply! It seems that only one person can use DSS's pip to install python packages in our current configuration. If we want to have multiple users be able to use DSS's pip, would you recommend:

1) Creating a group for the DSS directory and give a write privilege to the group?
2) Changing the privilege for the following folder to enable writing when using DSS's pip: DATA_DIR/pyenv/lib/python2.7/site-packages
3) Something else?

[jrouquie]

DSS runs as a given user, a service account. Usually we use this account to install Python packages. We haven't tried, but your ideas 1 and 2 can work.