circus
Circus is a program that will let you run and watch multiple processes and sockets.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need lightweight, Python-native process management and can tolerate dormant maintenance. The low install friction, permissive license, and stable codebase make it suitable for production use. However, consider alternatives if you require active security updates or anticipate needing support for future Python versions.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires psutil, pyzmq, and tornado as runtime dependencies; Python 3.7 or later.
- Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel.
- Maintenance is dormant—no release in 547 days—but the repository remains active with a recent commit on 2025-02-10 and 1578 stars, suggesting the codebase is stable rather than abandoned.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Licensed under Apache Software License (permissive), allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.
last release 2025-02-13 (547 days) · last repo commit 2025-02-10 · 1,578 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 408,579 downloads/mo, #6,877 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install circus
import circus
# Use circus.watcher.Watcher or circus.circusd for process management- Whether dormant maintenance status affects security patching or compatibility with future Python versions.
- Real-world performance and stability compared to modern alternatives.
- Whether the command-line interface or library API is the primary use pattern in practice.
What it is and what it does
Circus is a process and socket manager that lets you run and monitor multiple processes simultaneously. It works as both a standalone command-line tool and a Python library, making it suitable for applications that need programmatic control over process lifecycles. The package depends on psutil for system monitoring, pyzmq for inter-process communication, and tornado for its web interface and async handling.
The tool is classified as Production/Stable and supports Python 3.7 through 3.13 on Linux, macOS, and Windows. While maintenance is dormant (no release in 547 days), the repository remains accessible and recent commits suggest the code is stable.
Use it for
- Running and supervising multiple worker processes in a production application without external system dependencies.
- Monitoring socket connections and process health in real time through a programmatic interface.
- Building custom process orchestration logic within a Python application using the library API.
- Managing daemon processes on systems where systemd or supervisor are not available or not preferred.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need lightweight, Python-native process management and can tolerate dormant maintenance.
The low install friction, permissive license, and stable codebase make it suitable for production use. However, consider alternatives if you require active security updates or anticipate needing support for future Python versions.
Install
circus on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. Maintenance is dormant—no release in 547 days—but the repository remains active with a recent commit on 2025-02-10 and 1578 stars, suggesting the codebase is stable rather than abandoned.
Requires psutil, pyzmq, and tornado as runtime dependencies; Python 3.7 or later.
License in practice
Licensed under Apache Software License (permissive), allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install circus
import circus
# Use circus.watcher.Watcher or circus.circusd for process managementVerify before relying
- Whether dormant maintenance status affects security patching or compatibility with future Python versions.
- Real-world performance and stability compared to modern alternatives.
- Whether the command-line interface or library API is the primary use pattern in practice.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.7 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 3 packagespsutilpyzmqtornado |
| Maintenance | Dormant 547 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 408,579 / month, #6,877 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/StableLicense :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software LicenseOperating System :: MacOS :: MacOS XOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIX :: LinuxProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9 |
Evidence: circus-0.19.0-py3-none-any.whl
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