---
id: amazon-ion
version: "0.14.6"
license: Apache License Version 2.0, January 2004 http://www.apache.org/licenses/ TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR USE, REPRODUCTION, AND DISTRIBUTION 1. Definitions. "License" shall mean the terms and conditions for… (full text in the JSON record)
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# amazon-ion — Amazon Ion

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 19.5M/mo

## What it is and what it does

amazon-ion is a Python implementation of Amazon Ion, a data serialization format that combines JSON-like readability with binary efficiency and richer type semantics. It provides a simpleion module with four familiar APIs (dump, dumps, load, loads) that mirror Python's json module, making it easy for developers already comfortable with JSON parsing to work with Ion data.

The package handles both text and binary Ion formats, with optional C extension acceleration for the simpleion module. It depends on jsonconversion for type conversion and is actively maintained with prebuilt wheels for modern Python versions (3.9+) across multiple platforms, though it also supports compilation from source.

Use it for:

- Serialize and deserialize Ion-formatted data in AWS services or applications that use Ion as their primary data interchange format.
- Parse Ion text format (e.g., '{abc: 123}') into Python objects without learning a new API beyond json-like methods.
- Store or transmit data in Ion binary format for more compact representation than JSON while retaining self-describing structure.
- Migrate from JSON to Ion in existing Python applications by swapping json module calls with amazon.ion.simpleion equivalents.
- Work with Ion's extended type system (timestamps, decimals, symbols) when JSON's limited types are insufficient.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Parses and serializes Amazon Ion, a self-describing data format that extends JSON with richer type support and binary encoding, using a Python API modeled on the standard library's json module.

Yes, if you work with Amazon Ion data or AWS services that use Ion. The API is familiar to JSON users, maintenance is active, and no known vulnerabilities exist. Medium install friction is acceptable for most environments given the availability of prebuilt wheels. Not necessary if you only work with JSON or other formats.

## Install

pip install amazon-ion
uv add amazon-ion
poetry add amazon-ion

## Installing amazon-ion

Before you install: Medium install friction due to optional C extension compilation, but prebuilt wheels cover common platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows across x86_64 and ARM architectures). Active maintenance with a release 49 days ago.

License in practice: Apache License 2.0 permits commercial and private use with attribution; derivative works must carry prominent modification notices and include a copy of the license.

Quickstart:

pip install amazon-ion
import amazon.ion.simpleion as ion
obj = ion.loads('{abc: 123}')
print(ion.dumps(obj, binary=False))

Requires Python 3.9 or later; C extension is optional but improves simpleion performance.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the optional C extension is automatically built and used when wheels are unavailable
- Current status of known test vector skips listed in test_vectors.py

## Package facts

- License: Apache License Version 2.0, January 2004 http://www.apache.org/licenses/ TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR USE, REPRODUCTION, AND DISTRIBUTION 1. Definitions. "License" shall mean the terms and conditions for… (full text in the JSON record) (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: medium
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 19.5M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

amazon ion parser python, ion format serialization, self-describing data format, ion binary encoding, ion text format parsing, amazon ion loads dumps, ion data interchange, data-serialization, aws-ecosystem

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/amazon-ion) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/amazon-ion/)