---
id: clr-loader
version: "0.3.1"
license: unclear
license_treatment: unclear
maintenance: active
---

# clr_loader — Generic pure Python loader for .NET runtimes

License: unclear · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 3.6M/mo

## What it is and what it does

clr-loader is a pure Python package that abstracts the complexity of loading and interacting with Common Language Runtime (CLR) implementations from within Python code. It provides a generic interface so you don't have to handle platform-specific or runtime-specific details yourself when you need to call .NET functions from Python.

The package depends only on cffi for low-level interoperability and targets Python >=3.10. It is actively maintained and has no known vulnerabilities, though its beta status means the API may change. Use it when you need to integrate Python with existing .NET code or libraries without managing the runtime loading boilerplate yourself.

Use it for:

- Calling .NET library functions from a Python application without manually managing CLR initialization.
- Bridging Python data processing pipelines with .NET components in a mixed-language system.
- Testing .NET code from Python test suites by loading the CLR runtime and invoking functions.
- Wrapping .NET utilities in a Python interface for cross-platform deployment.

## Worth the install?

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

Loads and provides a generic interface to call functions on CLR (.NET) runtime implementations from Python.

Yes, if you need to call .NET functions from Python and want to avoid runtime-loading boilerplate. Verify the license terms first (they are not recorded in the package metadata), confirm that your target CLR implementation is supported, and ensure Python >=3.10 is available. Low install friction and active maintenance make it a reasonable choice for .NET interop.

## Install

pip install clr-loader
uv add clr-loader
poetry add clr-loader

## Installing clr_loader

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure Python wheel and single runtime dependency (cffi). Active maintenance with recent commits, though the repository has modest visibility (43 stars). Beta status suggests the API may still evolve.

License in practice: License treatment is unclear—no SPDX identifier or raw license text is recorded. Verify the actual license terms in the repository before use in proprietary or restricted contexts.

Quickstart:

pip install clr-loader

import clr_loader
# Load a CLR runtime and call a function
runtime = clr_loader.get_runtime()
result = runtime.call_function(...)

Requires Python >=3.10 and a CLR runtime installed on the system.

Verify before relying:

- Which CLR implementations are supported (Mono, .NET Framework, .NET Core, etc.)
- Whether cffi requires compilation or system libraries on target platforms
- Scope of 'simple functions' supported—parameter types, return values, exception handling

## Package facts

- License: not declared (unclear)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 3.6M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

.net runtime loader python, clr interface python, call dotnet from python, generic clr loader, python net interop, dotnet runtime interface, clr function calling, dotnet-interop, runtime-loader

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