Paver is a Python-based build/distribution/deployment scripting tool along the lines of Make or Rake. What makes Paver unique is its integration with commonly used Python libraries. Common tasks that were easy before remain easy. More importantly, dealing with your applications specific needs and requirements is also easy

It is not designed to handle the dependency tracking requirements of, for example, a C program. It is designed to help out with all of your other repetitive tasks (run documentation generators, moving files about, downloading things), all with the convenience of Python's syntax and massive library of code.