argparse

Python command-line parsing library

argparse Permissive license Python Software Foundation License Abandoned ★ 57 v1.4.0 released 2015-09-12

Install

argparse on PyPI

pip

pip install argparse

uv

uv add argparse

poetry

poetry add argparse

Package facts

License	Python Software Foundation License (permissive)
Python support	not specified
Install friction	low — pure-Python wheel
Runtime dependencies	none
Maintenance	abandoned — 3,988 days since the last release
Last repo commit	2021-05-13 (repository archived)
First released	2006-10-10
Popularity	one of the top 1,000 most-downloaded packages on PyPI (30-day window, as of 2026-08-13)
Known vulnerabilities	none known (OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-13)

Evidence: argparse-1.4.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: argparse, command, line, parser, parsing

Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: Python Software Foundation LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 2.3Programming Language :: Python :: 2.4Programming Language :: Python :: 2.5Programming Language :: Python :: 2.6Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.0Programming Language :: Python :: 3.1Programming Language :: Python :: 3.2Programming Language :: Python :: 3.3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4Topic :: Software Development

About argparse

from the package's own PyPI description — quoted content, verbatim

The argparse module makes it easy to write user friendly command line interfaces.

The program defines what arguments it requires, and argparse will figure out how to parse those out of sys.argv. The argparse module also automatically generates help and usage messages and issues errors when users give the program invalid arguments.

As of Python >= 2.7 and >= 3.2, the argparse module is maintained within the Python standard library. For users who still need to support Python < 2.7 or < 3.2, it is also provided as a separate package, which tries to stay compatible with the module in the standard library, but also supports older Python versions.

Also, we can fix bugs here for users who are stuck on some non-current python version, like e.g. 3.2.3 (which has bugs that were fixed in a later 3.2.x release).

argparse is licensed under the Python license, for details see LICENSE.txt.

Compatibility

argparse should work on Python >= 2.3, it was tested on:

2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6 and 2.7
3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4

Installation

Try one of these:

python setup.py install

easy_install argparse

pip install argparse

putting argparse.py in some...

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AI interpretation — verify before relying

AI-generated interpretation of the package facts above; every digit, version, license, or vulnerability id it cites is grounded in the facts already shown on this page

Provides command-line argument parsing for Python programs, automatically generating help messages and validating user input. Backports the standard library argparse module for Python versions prior to 2.7 and 3.2.

Installation is frictionless with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is abandoned as of 2021-05-13 and has not been updated in 3988 days. For Python 2.7+ and 3.2+, the standard library version is preferred; this backport is only relevant for legacy Python versions.

Licensed under the Python Software Foundation License (permissive), which allows free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions.

Usage

pip install argparse

import argparse
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='My program')
parser.add_argument('--name', help='Your name')
args = parser.parse_args()

Only needed for Python < 2.7 or < 3.2; modern Python versions include argparse in the standard library.

Verdict: This package is production-stable but obsolete for any modern Python environment. The abandoned status (last commit 2021-05-13, no security vulnerabilities reported) and zero runtime dependencies mean it poses no immediate risk, but there is no reason to adopt it unless supporting legacy Python versions.

Needs verification

Whether any known bugs exist in version 1.4.0 that were fixed in later standard library releases
Whether the package remains compatible with the oldest Python versions it claims to support (2.3–2.6)

command line argument parsercli argument parsingpython argparse backportcommand line interface buildersys.argv parserhelp message generator