{"categories":[{"label":"Python Modules","url":"https://skillfed.io/packages/category/software-development-libraries-python-modules/15"},{"label":"Text Processing","url":"https://skillfed.io/packages/category/text-processing/3"},{"label":"Systems Administration","url":"https://skillfed.io/packages/category/system-systems-administration"},{"label":"Logging","url":"https://skillfed.io/packages/category/system-logging"},{"label":"System Shells","url":"https://skillfed.io/packages/category/system-system-shells"}],"enrichment":{"capability":"Tailer provides functions to read lines from the end, beginning, or continuously from growing files, plus a command-line tool equivalent to GNU tail for systems lacking it.","skillfed_tags":["file-operations","unmaintained","cli-tool"],"use_cases":["Read the last N lines from a log file without loading the entire file into memory.","Implement a tail -f equivalent on Windows to monitor growing log files in real time.","Extract the first N lines from a file for header inspection or data validation.","Build a file-monitoring script that continuously reads new lines as they are appended.","Port Unix shell scripts that rely on tail/head to Windows without external dependencies."],"what_it_does":"Tailer is a file-reading library that implements GNU tail and head functionality in pure Python. It provides three main functions: tail() to read lines from the end of a file, head() to read lines from the beginning, and follow() to continuously read lines as a file grows. The package also includes pytail, a command-line tool that mimics GNU tail, which can be useful on Windows systems that lack a native tail equivalent.\n\nThe library works with any file-like object that supports seek() and tell() operations. It has no external runtime dependencies, making it lightweight to install. However, the package is in Alpha status and has not been updated since 2015, which means it may have compatibility issues with modern Python versions and lacks recent maintenance or bug fixes.","worth_installing":"No, not recommended for new projects. The package is unmaintained since 2015 (Alpha status), with unspecified Python version support and no recent testing on modern Python releases. While the MIT license is permissive and there are no known vulnerabilities, the aging codebase and high install friction due to lack of maintenance make it risky. For modern Python, consider using built-in file handling or actively maintained alternatives."},"id":"tailer","links":{"html":"https://skillfed.io/packages/tailer","md":"https://skillfed.io/packages/tailer.md","pypi":"https://pypi.org/project/tailer/"},"maintenance":{"status":"aging"},"meta":{"latest_release":"2015-12-09","license_spdx":null,"license_treatment":"permissive","name":"tailer","python_support":"unspecified","summary":"Python tail is a simple implementation of GNU tail and head."},"popularity":{"monthly_downloads":239031,"position":8926,"tier":"top_15000"},"security":{"n_vulnerabilities":0},"version":"0.4.1"}