---
id: colcon-ros
version: "0.5.0"
license: Apache License, Version 2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: aging
---

# colcon-ros — Extension for colcon to support ROS packages.

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 197.1K/mo

## What it is and what it does

colcon-ros is a plugin that teaches colcon (a cross-platform build tool) how to recognize and build ROS packages. When you run `colcon build` in a workspace containing ROS packages, this extension handles ROS-specific metadata, package discovery, and build conventions so that ROS packages are built alongside other colcon-managed packages.

The package depends on six runtime components: colcon-core (the plugin framework), colcon-cmake and colcon-python-setup-py (build system handlers), colcon-pkg-config (system dependency resolution), catkin-pkg (ROS package metadata parsing), and colcon-recursive-crawl (workspace discovery). It is intended for developers working with ROS on macOS, Windows, or POSIX systems.

Use it for:

- Build a mixed ROS and non-ROS workspace using a single colcon command without switching tools.
- Integrate ROS package builds into a CI/CD pipeline that already uses colcon for other projects.
- Develop ROS packages on Windows or macOS where native ROS build tools may have limited support.
- Manage multi-package ROS projects with automatic dependency resolution and parallel builds.

## Worth the install?

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

Extends colcon to recognize and build ROS packages as part of a workspace build, integrating ROS package metadata and build conventions into colcon's cross-platform build orchestration.

Yes, if you are actively developing ROS packages and already use colcon. The low install friction and permissive license make it a straightforward addition. However, the aging maintenance status (no release in 781 days, last commit 2026-01-13) warrants checking compatibility with your ROS distribution and colcon version before relying on it for production workflows.

## Install

pip install colcon-ros
uv add colcon-ros
poetry add colcon-ros

## Installing colcon-ros

Before you install: Low install friction; distributed as a wheel. Maintenance status is aging—last commit was 2026-01-13, and the package has not had a release in 781 days, though the repository remains active and not archived.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache License, Version 2.0 (permissive). No restrictions on commercial or private use; you may modify and redistribute under the same license terms.

Quickstart:

pip install colcon-ros

colcon build

Requires colcon-core and its other runtime dependencies (colcon-cmake, colcon-pkg-config, colcon-python-setup-py, colcon-recursive-crawl, catkin-pkg) to be installed; typically managed automatically by pip. Requires Python >=3.6.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the 781-day gap since last release indicates active maintenance or dormancy relative to ROS ecosystem changes.
- Compatibility with recent ROS 2 distributions and colcon-core versions.
- Whether Alpha status reflects feature completeness or ongoing instability.

## Package facts

- License: Apache License, Version 2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 197.1K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

colcon ros build extension, ros package build tool, colcon ros integration, ros workspace builder, colcon plugin ros support, ros catkin colcon, build ros packages colcon, ros-integration, build-orchestration

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