remove: Deprecate Python versions 3.7, 3.8 and 3.9

BREAKING CHANGE

.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug-report-no-hw.yml

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ body:
     attributes:
       label: Python Version
       description: Which Python version are you using? Run `python -V` to check this.
-      placeholder: ex. Python 3.9.6
+      placeholder: ex. Python 3.10.6
     validations:
       required: true
   - type: input

.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/issue-with-hw.yml

@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ body:
     attributes:
       label: Python Version
       description: Which Python version are you using? Run `python -V` to check this.
-      placeholder: ex. Python 3.9.6
+      placeholder: ex. Python 3.10.6
     validations:
       required: true
   - type: input

.github/workflows/test_esptool.yml

@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@ on: [push, pull_request]
 
 jobs:
   test_esptool:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04  # 22.04 is the last version with Python 3.7
+    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
 
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        python-version: ['3.7', '3.8', '3.9', '3.10', '3.11', '3.12', '3.13']
+        python-version: ['3.10', '3.11', '3.12', '3.13']
 
     steps:
     - name: Checkout ref commit
@@ -63,15 +63,15 @@ jobs:
             git diff --exit-code
 
   lint_esptool:
-      runs-on: ubuntu-22.04  # 22.04 is the last version with Python 3.7
+      runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
       steps:
         - name: Checkout
           uses: actions/checkout@master
 
-        - name: Set up Python 3.7
+        - name: Set up Python 3.10
           uses: actions/setup-python@master
           with:
-            python-version: 3.7
+            python-version: 3.10
 
         - name: Run pre-commit hooks
           run: |

.gitlab-ci.yml

@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ cache:
 
 .test_template: &test_template
   stage: test
-  image: python:3.7-bullseye
+  image: python:3.10-bullseye
   tags:
     - host_test
   dependencies: []
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ host_tests_latest_python:
     -  pytest ${CI_PROJECT_DIR}/test/test_espefuse.py --chip esp32
 
 # A new job "host_test_hsm" is created for the test "test_espsecure_hsm.py" which runs an ubuntu image,
-# because python-pkcs11 (v0.7.0) package is compiled using GLIBC_2.34 but docker image python:3.7-bullseye
+# because python-pkcs11 (v0.7.0) package is compiled using GLIBC_2.34 but docker image python:3.10-bullseye
 # support versions only upto GLIBC_2.31.
 host_tests_hsm:
   <<: *host_tests_template
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ host_tests_hsm:
 
 run_pre_commit_hooks:
   stage: test
-  image: python:3.7-bullseye
+  image: python:3.10-bullseye
   rules:
     - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE != "schedule"
   tags:
@@ -189,7 +189,6 @@ check_install_coverage:
       - ".coverage*"
     expire_in: 1 week
   script:
-    - coverage run --parallel-mode setup.py install
     - coverage run --parallel-mode esptool.py --help
     - coverage run --parallel-mode espefuse.py --help
     - coverage run --parallel-mode espsecure.py --help
@@ -250,7 +249,7 @@ check_stub_build:
 
 .target_esptool_test:
   stage: test
-  image: python:3.7-bullseye
+  image: python:3.10-bullseye
   variables:
     PYTHONPATH: "$PYTHONPATH:${CI_PROJECT_DIR}/test"
     COVERAGE_PROCESS_START: "${CI_PROJECT_DIR}/test/.covconf"
@@ -479,7 +478,7 @@ target_tests_windows:
 
 combine_reports:
   stage: report
-  image: python:3.7-bullseye
+  image: python:3.10-bullseye
   tags:
     - host_test
   artifacts:
@@ -509,7 +508,7 @@ combine_reports:
 
 build_docs:
   stage: build_docs
-  image: python:3.7-bullseye
+  image: python:3.12-bookworm  # 3.12 is the last version with imghdr
   tags:
     - build_docs
   rules:
@@ -532,7 +531,7 @@ build_docs:
 
 .deploy_docs_template:
   stage: deploy_docs
-  image: python:3.7-bullseye
+  image: python:3.12-bookworm  # 3.12 is the last version with imghdr
   tags:
     - deploy
   needs:

.pre-commit-config.yaml

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ repos:
         name: Lint RST files in docs folder using Sphinx Lint
         files: ^((docs/en)/.*\.(rst|inc))|CONTRIBUTING.rst$
   - repo: https://github.com/pre-commit/mirrors-mypy
-    rev: v1.4.1  # the last version running on py3.7
+    rev: v1.4.1
     hooks:
       - id: mypy
         additional_dependencies: ['types-PyYAML<=6.0.12.12']

docs/en/installation.rst

@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ How to Install
 Global Installation
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
-You will need `Python 3.7 or newer <https://www.python.org/downloads/>`_ installed on your system to use the latest version of ``esptool.py``.
-If your use case requires Python 2.7, 3.4, 3.5, or 3.6, please use ``esptool.py`` v3.3.* instead.
+You will need `Python 3.10 or newer <https://www.python.org/downloads/>`_ installed on your system to use the latest version of ``esptool.py``.
+If your use case requires Python 3.7, 3.8, or 3.9, please use ``esptool.py`` v4.x. For Python 2.7, 3.4, 3.5, or 3.6, please use ``esptool.py`` v3.3.* instead.
 
 The latest stable esptool release can be installed from `PyPI <https://pypi.org/project/esptool/>`_ via pip:
 

pyproject.toml

@@ -22,15 +22,12 @@
         "Topic :: Software Development :: Embedded Systems",
         "Environment :: Console",
         "License :: OSI Approved :: GNU General Public License v2 or later (GPLv2+)",
-        "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7",
-        "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8",
-        "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9",
         "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10",
         "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11",
         "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12",
         "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13",
     ]
-    requires-python = ">=3.7"
+    requires-python = ">=3.10"
     dynamic = ["version", "scripts"]
 
     dependencies = [
@@ -109,7 +106,7 @@
     disallow_incomplete_defs = false # Disallows defining functions with incomplete type annotations
     disallow_untyped_defs    = false # Disallows defining functions without type annotations or with incomplete type annotations
     ignore_missing_imports   = true  # Suppress error messages about imports that cannot be resolved
-    python_version           = "3.7" # Specifies the Python version used to parse and check the target program
+    python_version           = "3.10" # Specifies the Python version used to parse and check the target program
     warn_no_return           = true  # Shows errors for missing return statements on some execution paths
     warn_return_any          = true  # Shows a warning when returning a value with type Any from a function declared with a non- Any return type
 
@@ -127,7 +124,7 @@
     select = ['E', 'F', 'W']
     ignore = ["E203"]
 
-    target-version = "py37"
+    target-version = "py310"
 
 [tool.ruff.lint]
     # Enable Pyflakes (`F`) and a subset of the pycodestyle (`E`) codes by default.