This error happened after I try to run a Django project on Linux(Manjaro) after an sistem update.

ImportError: libffi.so.7: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

What Have I try:

Install libffi using pacman

pacman -Sy libffi

The installation is successful but the error persists.

Delete and recreate virtualenv

it did not help neither.

Solution

Install That specific libffi.so.7

I use yay to search for suitable package to install

$ yay libffi
7 aur/cffi-lua 0.2.1-1 (+0 0.00)
    A portable C FFI for Lua, based on libffi
16 aur/libx32-libffi 3.2.1-1.1 (+0 0.00)
    A portable, high level programming interface to various calling conventions (x32 ABI)
15 aur/libffi-git 3.4.2.r20.g0f2dd36-1 (+0 0.00)
    Portable foreign function interface library
14 aur/libffi-static 3.4.2-4 (+0 0.00)
    Portable foreign function interface library
13 aur/lib32-libffi-minimal-git 3.3-1 (+1 0.00)
    A portable, high level programming interface to various calling conventions (32-bit)
12 aur/lib32-libffi6 3.2.1-1 (+1 0.01)
    A portable, high level programming interface to various calling conventions (ABI version 6)
11 aur/libffi-minimal-git 3.2.1.r334.g4fdbb05-1 (+1 0.00)
    Portable foreign function interface library
10 aur/libjffi 1.3.6-2 (+1 0.40)
    Java bindings for libffi
9 aur/libffi6 3.2.1-1 (+6 0.02)
    A portable, high level programming interface to various calling conventions (ABI version 6)
# THIS ONE
8 aur/libffi7 3.3-2 (+7 3.72)
    Portable foreign function interface library (ABI version 7)
7 aur/lib32-libffi5 3.0.10-2 (+8 0.00)
    A portable, high level programming interface to various calling conventions (ABI version 5)
6 aur/pure-ffi 0.16-1 (+8 0.00)
    An interface to libffi which enables you to call C functions from Pure and vice versa.
5 aur/mingw-w64-libffi 3.4.2-1 (+19 0.01)
    Portable foreign function interface library (mingw-w64)
4 aur/libffi5 3.0.10-1 (+32 0.00)
    A portable, high level programming interface to various calling conventions (ABI version 5)
3 multilib/lib32-libffi 3.4.2-3 (18.5 KiB 38.7 KiB) (Installed)
    Portable foreign function interface library (32-bit)
2 community/haskell-libffi 0.1-26 (39.6 KiB 212.3 KiB)
    A binding to libffi
# NOT this one
1 core/libffi 3.4.2-4 (44.9 KiB 94.4 KiB) (Installed)
    Portable foreign function interface library

Notice number 8, that is the package that you need to install because the latest libffi now is on version 8, and your python needs the 7 version.

Install that and you are set.

A Helpful Note For Debugging

use locate to locate if your system already has libffi.so.7

$ locate libffi.so.7
/home/ynrfin/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-136.4.4345/libffi.so.7
/home/ynrfin/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-136.4.4345/libffi.so.7.1.0
/opt/dropbox/libffi.so.7
/opt/dropbox/libffi.so.7.1.0

using locate libffi returns more result on my computer. So you should be specific about what you want to locate

Hope this helps.