---
id: backports-csv
version: "1.0.7"
license: unclear
license_treatment: unclear
maintenance: abandoned
---

# backports.csv — Backport of Python 3 csv module

License: unclear · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 147.2K/mo

## What it is and what it does

backports.csv backports Python 3's csv module to Python 2, bridging a significant API gap caused by differences in how str is handled between the two versions. Python 3's csv module natively supports Unicode, while Python 2's does not; this package brings that capability to Python 2 code.

The package provides a drop-in replacement by importing from `backports.csv` instead of the standard library. It has no runtime dependencies and installs with low friction. However, it is explicitly designed for Python 2, which reached end-of-life in 2020, and the package itself has been abandoned since 2019 with no further maintenance.

Use it for:

- Migrating Python 2 codebases to use Python 3's csv semantics while still running on Python 2.
- Reading and writing CSV files with Unicode content in Python 2 applications.
- Ensuring consistent CSV handling across Python 2 and Python 3 during a gradual migration.

## Worth the install?

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

Provides Python 3's csv module API for Python 2, with native Unicode support and consistent behavior across Python versions.

No. This package is abandoned and designed for Python 2, which is no longer supported. If you are on Python 2, you should migrate to Python 3, where the csv module is built-in and fully featured. If you are already on Python 3, use the standard library csv module directly. There is no modern use case for this backport.

## Install

pip install backports-csv
uv add backports-csv
poetry add backports-csv

## Installing backports.csv

Before you install: Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is abandoned—last commit was 2020-10-27 and no releases since 2019-03-11. Python 2 itself reached end-of-life in 2020, making this package obsolete for new projects.

License in practice: License treatment is unclear—no SPDX identifier or raw license text is provided. Verify the actual license before using in proprietary or GPL-sensitive contexts.

Quickstart:

from backports import csv
import io

with io.open('data.csv', newline='', encoding='utf-8') as f:
    for row in csv.reader(f):
        print(row)

Designed for Python 2; Python 2 reached end-of-life in 2020. Modern Python 3 includes the csv module natively.

Verify before relying:

- Actual license terms—license_treatment is 'unclear' with no SPDX or raw license text provided.
- Whether this package is still safe to use given its abandoned status and Python 2 EOL.

## Package facts

- License: not declared (unclear)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 147.2K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

python 2 csv unicode, csv module backport, python 2 3 csv compatibility, unicode csv reader writer, cross-version csv parsing, python-2-legacy, csv-parsing

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