---
id: asdf-standard
version: "1.5.0"
license: unclear
license_treatment: unclear
maintenance: active
---

# asdf-standard — The ASDF Standard schemas

License: unclear · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 301.4K/mo

## What it is and what it does

asdf-standard is a Python package that distributes the specification and core schemas for the Advanced Scientific Data Format (ASDF), a structured format designed for scientific data interchange and storage. It serves as the authoritative schema repository for the ASDF ecosystem, defining the data structures and validation rules that ASDF-compatible tools use to read and write scientific datasets.

The package itself contains no runtime dependencies and is primarily consumed by other packages that implement ASDF support. It is actively maintained, with recent commits and stable production status, making it suitable for projects that need to reference or validate against the official ASDF specification.

Use it for:

- Validate scientific data files against official ASDF schemas in astronomy and space science workflows.
- Integrate ASDF schema definitions into custom data processing pipelines for scientific computing.
- Reference the canonical ASDF specification when building tools or libraries that read or write ASDF files.
- Ensure compliance with the ASDF standard in multi-team scientific collaborations.

## Worth the install?

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

Provides the ASDF (Advanced Scientific Data Format) specification and core schemas for structured scientific data storage and interchange.

Yes, if you are building or using tools that work with ASDF data. Install it as a dependency for ASDF-compatible libraries or when you need to validate against official schemas. The low install friction and zero runtime dependencies make it safe to add. Verify the license terms first, as they are not clearly specified in the package metadata.

## Install

pip install asdf-standard
uv add asdf-standard
poetry add asdf-standard

## Installing asdf-standard

Before you install: Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. Actively maintained with recent commits and stable production status.

License in practice: License treatment is unclear; the fact sheet does not specify a license. Verify licensing terms before use in proprietary or restricted contexts.

Quickstart:

pip install asdf-standard

import asdf
# Use asdf-standard schemas via asdf library integration

Requires Python 3.10 or later.

Verify before relying:

- Whether asdf-standard is meant to be imported directly or only used as a dependency by other packages like asdf.
- What specific license applies (license_treatment is marked unclear in the fact sheet).
- Whether this package provides runtime utilities or is purely a schema/specification reference.

## Package facts

- License: not declared (unclear)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 301.4K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

asdf data format specification, scientific data format schemas, advanced scientific data format, asdf standard schemas, astronomy data format, structured scientific data, asdf specification, data-format, scientific-computing, schema-validation

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