zc.buildout [1] is a deployment tool written in Python.

As a summary, buildout:

• is a Python module;
• main usage is deployment, in pull mode;
• parses and executes configuration files;
• uses recipes for whatever you need.

Its major advantages are:

• isolation: works within a directory, as normal user (root access is not required). Buildout fits project-centric workflows;
• repeatability: build process can be reproduced exactly the same on several environments;
• predicability: it does what is expected, and if it can't do something, you are told (errors don't pass silently);
• extensibility: configuration files can inherit other ones, and recipes are kind of plugins.