---
id: anyjson
version: "0.3.3"
license: BSD
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# anyjson — Wraps the best available JSON implementation available in a common interface

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 105.3K/mo

## What it is and what it does

Anyjson is a JSON library wrapper that was designed to automatically detect and use the fastest available JSON implementation on a system, presenting a uniform API regardless of which backend is installed. It provides serialize() and deserialize() functions that work consistently across different JSON libraries, with standardized exception handling (TypeError for non-JSON-serializable objects, ValueError for invalid JSON).

The package is now obsolete. Modern Python includes a built-in json module that is fast and stable, eliminating the need for a wrapper layer. The package has been abandoned since its last release on 2012-06-22 and receives no maintenance or updates. It was originally part of the carrot project and targets only Python 2.4–3.1, making it unsuitable for current development.

Use it for:

- Legacy codebases written for Python 2 that depend on anyjson and cannot be easily refactored to use the built-in json module
- Projects that require runtime selection between multiple JSON backends for performance tuning on specific systems
- Code that needs consistent exception types across different JSON library implementations

## Worth the install?

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

Anyjson provides a uniform API for JSON serialization and deserialization by automatically selecting and wrapping the fastest available JSON library on the system.

No. The package is abandoned (last release 2012-06-22) and targets obsolete Python versions (2.4–3.1). Modern Python includes a robust built-in json module that eliminates the need for a wrapper. Install friction is high and compatibility with current Python versions is unverified. Use the standard library json module instead.

## Install

pip install anyjson
uv add anyjson
poetry add anyjson

## Installing anyjson

Before you install: High install friction due to source distribution format. The package is abandoned—last release was 2012-06-22—and no longer maintained. Modern Python versions have built-in json support that supersedes this wrapper's original purpose.

License in practice: BSD license is permissive and poses no restriction on use, modification, or distribution in proprietary or open-source projects.

Quickstart:

import anyjson

# Serialize to JSON string
data = anyjson.serialize(["test", 1, {"foo": 3.141592}])

# Deserialize from JSON string
obj = anyjson.deserialize(data)

Package targets Python 2.4–3.1 and is not maintained for modern Python versions; compatibility with current Python releases is uncertain.

Verify before relying:

- Whether anyjson works reliably on modern Python versions despite lack of recent maintenance
- Current status of the Bitbucket repository and whether it remains accessible
- Whether the package's JSON backend selection logic still functions with contemporary JSON libraries

## Package facts

- License: BSD (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 105.3K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

json library wrapper, unified json interface, json serialization abstraction, fastest json implementation, json encode decode wrapper, cross-json compatibility, json adapter layer, legacy, abandoned

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