---
id: colcon-core
version: "0.21.1"
license: Apache-2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# colcon-core — Command line tool to build sets of software packages.

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 234.2K/mo

## What it is and what it does

colcon-core is the foundation package for colcon, a multi-package build orchestration system. It provides the core infrastructure for identifying packages, managing dependencies, ordering builds, and setting up execution environments. The package is designed for developers working with monorepos or modular projects that need to build, test, and deploy multiple interdependent software packages as a coordinated workflow.

The package depends on standard Python utilities like setuptools, packaging, and distlib for package management, plus testing infrastructure (pytest and related plugins). It's actively maintained, has been in use since 2018, and carries no known security vulnerabilities. The Alpha development status reflects its role as a foundation library rather than indicating instability.

Use it for:

- Automate building and testing multiple interdependent packages in a monorepo or workspace.
- Manage package build ordering and dependency resolution across a large project structure.
- Set up and manage build environments for complex multi-package software systems.
- Integrate package identification and dependency analysis into custom build workflows.
- Orchestrate CI/CD pipelines that need to build sets of packages with proper sequencing.

## Worth the install?

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

colcon-core is a command-line tool that orchestrates building, testing, and using multiple software packages by automating the build process, managing package ordering, and setting up the environment.

Yes, if you need to build or orchestrate multiple packages as a coordinated system. colcon-core is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries no security vulnerabilities, and is permissively licensed. However, it is a foundation library typically used alongside colcon extension packages—verify that the extensions you need are available before committing to the ecosystem.

## Install

pip install colcon-core
uv add colcon-core
poetry add colcon-core

## Installing colcon-core

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution. Active maintenance with a release 9 days ago and ongoing commits; the package is in Alpha status but has been stable since its first release in 2018.

License in practice: Apache-2.0 is a permissive license, so you can use, modify, and distribute colcon-core freely in both open-source and proprietary projects, provided you include a copy of the license and notice of changes.

Quickstart:

pip install colcon-core

from colcon_core.package_identification import identify_packages
from colcon_core.plugin_system import instantiate_extensions

# Identify packages in a workspace
packages = identify_packages('path/to/workspace')

Requires Python 3.6 or later; colcon-core is the foundation package and typically used alongside colcon extension packages for full build workflow functionality.

Verify before relying:

- Whether colcon-core alone is sufficient for typical build workflows or if additional colcon extension packages are required for practical use.
- Performance characteristics when handling large numbers of packages or complex dependency graphs.

## Package facts

- License: Apache-2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 234.2K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

build multiple packages, package build orchestration, multi-package build tool, build automation workflow, package dependency ordering, build environment setup, colcon build system, build-orchestration, monorepo-tools, multi-package

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