backoff
Function decoration for backoff and retry
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need a lightweight, zero-dependency retry decorator for stable, well-understood use cases. The library is Production/Stable and has been battle-tested. However, the repository is archived and abandoned as of May 2024, so there will be no bug fixes or new features. Acceptable for existing projects or new projects where you do not expect to need ongoing maintenance; consider alternatives if you anticipate needing support or compatibility updates.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.7 or later (3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 3.10 supported).
- Low install friction with no runtime dependencies.
- The package is in Production/Stable status but abandoned as of 2024-05-02, with no active maintenance.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license (permissive) allows use in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions. Attribution is required but no copyleft obligations apply.
last release 2022-10-05 (1409 days) · last repo commit 2024-05-02 · 2,694 stars · archived
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 162,755,837 downloads/mo, #253 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install backoff
import backoff
@backoff.on_exception(backoff.expo, Exception, max_tries=3)
def my_function():
return requests.get(url)- Whether the abandoned status and last commit in May 2024 pose a risk for your use case or Python version compatibility.
- Whether asyncio decorator support is complete and tested for your async patterns.
What it is and what it does
backoff is a decorator library for wrapping functions to automatically retry them when exceptions occur or when a return value meets a given condition. It is designed for handling intermittent failures in network requests and external API calls, as well as for polling resources until content becomes available. The library supports both synchronous functions and asyncio coroutines.
You decorate a function with either `@backoff.on_exception` (to retry on a raised exception) or `@backoff.on_predicate` (to retry based on the return value). You specify a backoff strategy (exponential, fibonacci, constant, or custom), optional limits like `max_tries` or `max_time`, and optional jitter to randomize wait intervals. The decorator handles the retry loop internally, so your function code remains clean and focused on its core logic.
Use it for
- Retry HTTP requests that fail due to transient network errors or rate limiting.
- Poll an external API or message queue at intervals until a non-empty result is returned.
- Wrap database connection attempts with exponential backoff to handle temporary unavailability.
- Implement resilient async/await code that retries on timeout or connection exceptions.
- Add jittered backoff to distributed systems to avoid thundering herd problems on recovery.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need a lightweight, zero-dependency retry decorator for stable, well-understood use cases.
The library is Production/Stable and has been battle-tested. However, the repository is archived and abandoned as of May 2024, so there will be no bug fixes or new features. Acceptable for existing projects or new projects where you do not expect to need ongoing maintenance; consider alternatives if you anticipate needing support or compatibility updates.
Install
backoff on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. The package is in Production/Stable status but abandoned as of 2024-05-02, with no active maintenance. The repository is archived. For stable, well-tested retry logic this is acceptable; for ongoing support or bug fixes, consider alternatives.
Requires Python 3.7 or later (3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 3.10 supported).
License in practice
MIT license (permissive) allows use in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions. Attribution is required but no copyleft obligations apply.
Quickstart
pip install backoff
import backoff
@backoff.on_exception(backoff.expo, Exception, max_tries=3)
def my_function():
return requests.get(url)Verify before relying
- Whether the abandoned status and last commit in May 2024 pose a risk for your use case or Python version compatibility.
- Whether asyncio decorator support is complete and tested for your async patterns.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.7,<4.0 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 1,409 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | repository archived |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 162,755,837 / month, #253 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 LicenseNatural Language :: EnglishOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: Internet :: WWW/HTTPTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python ModulesTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: backoff-2.2.1-py3-none-any.whl
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See also backoff-utils · python-backoff · justbackoff · retry2 · reretry · waiter · python-retry · stamina · retry · botoinator