---
id: boltons
version: "26.1.0"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# boltons — When they're not builtins, they're boltons.

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Popularity: top 1,000 on PyPI

## Install

pip install boltons
uv add boltons
poetry add boltons

## Description

# Boltons

*boltons should be builtins.*

<a href="https://boltons.readthedocs.io/en/latest/"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/docs-latest-brightgreen.svg?style=flat"></a>
<a href="https://pypi.python.org/pypi/boltons"><img src="https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/boltons.svg"></a>
<a href="https://anaconda.org/conda-forge/boltons"><img src="https://img.shields.io/conda/vn/conda-forge/boltons.svg"></a>
<a href="https://ports.macports.org/port/py-boltons/summary"><img src="https://repology.org/badge/version-for-repo/macports/python:boltons.svg?header=MacPorts"></a>
<a href="https://pypi.python.org/pypi/boltons"><img src="https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/boltons.svg"></a>
<a href="http://calver.org"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/calver-YY.MINOR.MICRO-22bfda.svg"></a>

**Boltons** is a set of over 230 BSD-licensed, pure-Python utilities
in the same spirit as — and yet conspicuously missing from —
[the standard library][stdlib], including:

  * [Atomic file saving][atomic], bolted on with [fileutils][fileutils]
  * A highly-optimized [OrderedMultiDict][omd], in [dictutils][dictutils]
  * *Two* types of [PriorityQueue][pq], in [queueutils][queueutils]
  *...

## AI interpretation — verify before relying

Boltons is a collection of over 230 pure-Python utility functions covering file operations, data structures, iteration patterns, and stack trace handling—functionality designed to complement the standard library.

Verdict: Boltons is a mature, well-maintained utility library with no security vulnerabilities, zero dependencies, and permissive licensing. Its broad Python version support (3.7–3.14, PyPy3) and top-1000 popularity make it a low-risk addition for projects needing standard-library-adjacent functionality.

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