---
id: boto
version: "2.49.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# boto — Amazon Web Services Library

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 7.3M/mo

## What it is and what it does

Boto is a Python library that provides direct programmatic access to AWS services. It supports a broad range of AWS services across compute, storage, databases, networking, and management categories, with varying levels of Python 3 compatibility across different modules. The package works with Python 2.6, 2.7, 3.3, and 3.4.

The package is now in maintenance-only mode. Its developers explicitly state that the next version is stable and recommended for general use, and that all new feature work and API updates are focused there going forward. While Boto can run side-by-side with its successor in the same project, the project repository is archived and no longer actively maintained. The last release was 11-July-2018.

Use it for:

- Maintaining legacy Python applications that depend on Boto and cannot immediately migrate to its successor.
- Gradual migration by running both libraries in parallel during a transition period.
- Educational purposes or historical reference to understand early AWS SDK design patterns.
- Working with specific AWS services where Boto's older API may still be preferred in existing codebases.

## Worth the install?

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

Boto is a Python interface to Amazon Web Services, providing programmatic access to AWS services including EC2, S3, DynamoDB, RDS, and many others.

No, unless you are maintaining an existing legacy application that already uses Boto. The package is abandoned, its last release was 11-July-2018, and the maintainers explicitly recommend its successor for all new projects and active development. For any new work, use the next version instead. Installing Boto on new projects locks you into an unsupported codebase with no path for security updates or new AWS service support.

## Install

pip install boto
uv add boto
poetry add boto

## Installing boto

Before you install: Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies, but the package has been abandoned since 2018 and its repository is archived. The maintainers explicitly recommend migrating to the next version for any new work or active projects.

License in practice: Boto is licensed under the MIT License, a permissive open-source license that allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install boto

import boto
from boto.ec2 import connect_to_region
conn = connect_to_region('us-west-2', aws_access_key_id='...', aws_secret_access_key='...')

AWS credentials must be provided either as environment variables (AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID and AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY) or passed directly to connection methods.

Verify before relying:

- Current compatibility with modern Python versions beyond 3.4 given the 2018 release date and archived status.
- Whether critical security patches or bug fixes are still being applied to the archived repository.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 7.3M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

AWS Python client library, Amazon Web Services SDK, EC2 S3 DynamoDB Python, AWS API wrapper, cloud infrastructure automation, Amazon service integration, AWS resource management, legacy, aws-sdk, archived

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