appdirs
A small Python module for determining appropriate platform-specific dirs, e.g. a "user data dir".
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if your project targets Python 3.8 or earlier and does not require updates for newer OS conventions. The module is stable, dependency-free, and widely used. However, consider alternatives or maintenance status if you need active support for Python 3.9+ or anticipate platform-specific path changes. The abandoned status means no fixes for future OS updates.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Extremely low friction—a single pure-Python module with no runtime dependencies.
- However, the package is abandoned: last release was 2020-05-11 and last commit 2023-02-10, so it will not receive updates for new Python versions or platform changes.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license is permissive and places no restrictions on use, modification, or redistribution in commercial or private projects.
last release 2020-05-11 (2286 days) · last repo commit 2023-02-10 · 1,079 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 40,056,552 downloads/mo, #687 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
from appdirs import user_data_dir, user_cache_dir, user_config_dir
data_dir = user_data_dir("MyApp", "MyCompany")
cache_dir = user_cache_dir("MyApp", "MyCompany")
config_dir = user_config_dir("MyApp", "MyCompany")- Whether the package's platform-specific paths remain correct on current versions of Windows, macOS, and Linux given OS changes since 2020.
What it is and what it does
appdirs is a single-module library that solves the problem of finding the right directory to store application data on different operating systems. On macOS it returns paths like ~/Library/Application Support; on Windows, C:\Users\username\AppData\Local or Roaming; on Linux, it follows the XDG Base Directory specification (e.g., ~/.local/share). The module provides functions for user data, config, cache, and log directories, as well as site-wide equivalents, and includes an AppDirs convenience class for bundling these paths together.
The package has no runtime dependencies and is small enough to be vendored directly into other projects. It is classified as Production/Stable and supports Python 2.7 and Python 3.4 through 3.8. However, the project is abandoned—the last release was in 2020 and the last commit in 2023—so it will not be updated for newer Python versions or changes to platform directory conventions.
Use it for
- Store user preferences and data files in the OS-standard location without hardcoding paths.
- Implement cross-platform cache directories for downloaded or computed data.
- Place application logs in the platform-appropriate location (e.g., ~/Library/Logs on macOS).
- Support per-version data isolation by including a version parameter in directory paths.
- Respect XDG environment variables on Linux for multi-path config or data directories.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if your project targets Python 3.8 or earlier and does not require updates for newer OS conventions.
The module is stable, dependency-free, and widely used. However, consider alternatives or maintenance status if you need active support for Python 3.9+ or anticipate platform-specific path changes. The abandoned status means no fixes for future OS updates.
Install
appdirs on PyPI
Before you install
Extremely low friction—a single pure-Python module with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is abandoned: last release was 2020-05-11 and last commit 2023-02-10, so it will not receive updates for new Python versions or platform changes.
License in practice
MIT license is permissive and places no restrictions on use, modification, or redistribution in commercial or private projects.
Quickstart
from appdirs import user_data_dir, user_cache_dir, user_config_dir
data_dir = user_data_dir("MyApp", "MyCompany")
cache_dir = user_cache_dir("MyApp", "MyCompany")
config_dir = user_config_dir("MyApp", "MyCompany")Verify before relying
- Whether the package's platform-specific paths remain correct on current versions of Windows, macOS, and Linux given OS changes since 2020.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 2,286 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 40,056,552 / month, #687 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: appdirs-1.4.4-py2.py3-none-any.whl
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “platform-specific app directories”
- appdirsDetermines the correct platform-specific directory for storing…
- platformdirsDetermines platform-specific directories for application data,…
- appdataProvides a cross-platform abstraction for managing application data…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Python Modules packages
Converts domain names between Unicode and ASCII-compatible encoding (Punycode) according to IDNA 2008 and Unicode Technical Standard 46, with security validation and broader script coverage than the standard library.
Install it if you work with internationalized domain names, need to validate domains, or use HTTP clients that depend on it transitively.
Setuptools is a Python build backend and package management tool that handles building, distributing, and installing Python packages, including support for C/C++ extension modules.
PyYAML parses and emits YAML 1.1 data format, enabling serialization and deserialization of configuration files and Python objects to and from human-readable YAML text.
Pydantic validates Python data structures against type hints, coercing and checking input at runtime to ensure it matches a declared schema.
Provides reusable metadata objects for use with PEP-593 `typing.Annotated` to express common constraints like bounds, collection sizes, and predicates on types.
Install it if you use or build libraries that need to express type constraints in a standardized, inspectable way—or if you want to annotate your own types with…
Provides runtime tools to inspect and introspect Python type annotations, enabling programmatic examination of type hints at execution time.
See also platformdirs · pystow · appdata · xdg · xdg-base-dirs · lib-layered-config · appdirs-stubs · pathmagic · mozprofile · setuptools-download