The Python zlib extension was not compiled on Mac OS X 10.11.1

Question

The following build error occurred when I build Python 2.7.11.

ERROR: The Python zlib extension was not compiled. Missing the zlib?

My Build environment is:

• Mac OS X 10.11.1
• Python 2.7.11

Answer 1

I went through the same issue and what did the trick for me was:

1. (Re)install zlib:

$ brew reinstall zlib

2. Set its path to some env vars so compilers and pkg-config can find zlib:

$ export LDFLAGS="-L/usr/local/opt/zlib/lib"
$ export CPPFLAGS="-I/usr/local/opt/zlib/include"
$ export PKG_CONFIG_PATH="/usr/local/opt/zlib/lib/pkgconfig"

3. Build Python again.

Answer 2

You should check here: https://github.com/yyuu/pyenv/wiki/Common-build-problems. Try to reinstall your command line tools.