bindep
Binary dependency utility
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Bindep is a stable, actively maintained tool with no known vulnerabilities, low install friction, and permissive licensing. It solves a real problem—declaratively specifying and validating system-level dependencies—that is difficult to handle otherwise, especially in multi-platform projects. Install it if your project has non-Python system dependencies or if you need to standardize dependency setup across a team.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low install friction with four straightforward runtime dependencies (distro, packaging, Parsley, pbr).
- Actively maintained with a release within the last 148 days and support across Python 3.8 through 3.13.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Licensed under Apache Software License (permissive), allowing use in both open-source and proprietary projects without copyleft obligations.
last release 2026-03-19 (148 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 1,118,737 downloads/mo, #4,343 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install bindep
Create bindep.txt with your system package requirements:
libffi6
libffi-devel [test]
Run bindep to check for missing packages:
bindep
bindep test # with specific profile
bindep -b # brief output for piping to package managers- Whether the package mapping from Debian package names to other distros (RPM, Gentoo, etc.) covers your target platforms comprehensively.
- Performance characteristics when processing large or complex requirements files with many profiles and version constraints.
What it is and what it does
Bindep is a command-line tool that validates whether system-level binary packages are installed on a machine. It reads a declarative requirements file (bindep.txt) listing Debian package names and outputs which packages are missing, making it easier to set up development and test environments where non-Python dependencies must be installed before pip can run. The tool supports profiles to handle different scenarios (e.g., test vs. production), platform-specific selectors to map Debian package names to RPM, Gentoo, or other package managers, and version constraints similar to pip's syntax.
Bindep is particularly useful in CI/CD pipelines and development setup documentation. It can output results in verbose or brief format (one package per line), making it easy to pipe missing packages directly to apt, yum, or other package managers. Exit codes indicate success (0), missing packages (1), or parse errors (2), allowing integration into automated workflows. The tool has been in production use since 2015 and supports modern Python versions.
Use it for
- Validate that all system dependencies are installed before running tests in a CI pipeline, with brief output piped to apt-get or yum.
- Document system-level requirements in a project's bindep.txt file so developers can quickly set up a working environment.
- Handle platform-specific package names (e.g., libxml2-dev on Debian vs. libxml2-devel on RPM) in a single requirements file.
- Define test-specific system dependencies (e.g., database servers, development headers) using profiles without cluttering runtime requirements.
- Distinguish between Python 2 and Python 3 system packages using base-py2 and base-py3 labels on supported platforms.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Bindep is a stable, actively maintained tool with no known vulnerabilities, low install friction, and permissive licensing. It solves a real problem—declaratively specifying and validating system-level dependencies—that is difficult to handle otherwise, especially in multi-platform projects. Install it if your project has non-Python system dependencies or if you need to standardize dependency setup across a team.
Install
bindep on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with four straightforward runtime dependencies (distro, packaging, Parsley, pbr). Actively maintained with a release within the last 148 days and support across Python 3.8 through 3.13.
License in practice
Licensed under Apache Software License (permissive), allowing use in both open-source and proprietary projects without copyleft obligations.
Quickstart
pip install bindep
Create bindep.txt with your system package requirements:
libffi6
libffi-devel [test]
Run bindep to check for missing packages:
bindep
bindep test # with specific profile
bindep -b # brief output for piping to package managersVerify before relying
- Whether the package mapping from Debian package names to other distros (RPM, Gentoo, etc.) covers your target platforms comprehensively.
- Performance characteristics when processing large or complex requirements files with many profiles and version constraints.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.8 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 4 packagesdistropackagingParsleypbr |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 148 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 1,118,737 / month, #4,343 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/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: Information TechnologyLicense :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software LicenseOperating System :: MacOS :: MacOS XOperating System :: POSIX :: LinuxProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonTopic :: Software Development :: Quality AssuranceTopic :: Software Development :: TestingTopic :: System :: Archiving :: PackagingTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: bindep-2.14.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also deb-pkg-tools · certifi-linux · debian-inspector · distro2sbom · distro · simplesat · extra-platforms · version-utils · xrootd · xmlsec