curies
Idiomatic conversion between URIs and compact URIs (CURIEs)
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, minimal install friction, and a permissive license. It solves a specific and well-defined problem in semantic web and biomedical data work. Install it if you need reliable CURIE–URI conversion; skip it only if you don't work with prefixed identifiers.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.11 or later and Pydantic v2.
- Low friction install with only two runtime dependencies (pydantic and pystow).
- Active maintenance with a release 4 days ago and recent commits; supports current Python versions (3.11–3.14).
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution with minimal legal friction.
last release 2026-08-10 (4 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-10 · 27 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 491,496 downloads/mo, #6,364 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install curies
import curies
converter = curies.load_prefix_map({
"CHEBI": "http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/CHEBI_"
})
compressed = converter.compress("http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/CHEBI_1")
expanded = converter.expand("CHEBI:1")- Whether the trie-based implementation scales efficiently for very large prefix maps.
- Performance characteristics when expanding or compressing thousands of identifiers in succession.
What it is and what it does
Curies is a library for bidirectional conversion between full URIs and their compact CURIE form (e.g., 'CHEBI:1' ↔ 'http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/CHEBI_1'). It accepts custom prefix maps or loads standard ones from the web (bioregistry, GO, OBO, etc.) and provides both a Python API and a command-line interface. The library uses a trie data structure for efficient lookups and can run as a web resolver or mapper using Flask or FastAPI.
The package is designed for semantic web and biomedical ontology work where URIs need compact representation for readability and transmission. It requires Pydantic v2 (as of v0.8) and depends on pystow for data caching. The CLI supports multiple pre-defined prefix maps and custom formats, making it useful for both one-off conversions and long-running web services.
Use it for
- Convert biomedical ontology URIs to compact form for display in research tools or publications.
- Run a web resolver service that maps CURIEs to their full URIs for linked data applications.
- Normalize and compress identifiers in data pipelines that work with semantic web standards.
- Build a CURIE mapper web service for integration with external systems or APIs.
- Programmatically expand prefixed identifiers in Python scripts handling RDF or ontology data.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, minimal install friction, and a permissive license. It solves a specific and well-defined problem in semantic web and biomedical data work. Install it if you need reliable CURIE–URI conversion; skip it only if you don't work with prefixed identifiers.
Install
curies on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction install with only two runtime dependencies (pydantic and pystow). Active maintenance with a release 4 days ago and recent commits; supports current Python versions (3.11–3.14).
Requires Python 3.11 or later and Pydantic v2.
License in practice
MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution with minimal legal friction.
Quickstart
pip install curies
import curies
converter = curies.load_prefix_map({
"CHEBI": "http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/CHEBI_"
})
compressed = converter.compress("http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/CHEBI_1")
expanded = converter.expand("CHEBI:1")Verify before relying
- Whether the trie-based implementation scales efficiently for very large prefix maps.
- Performance characteristics when expanding or compressing thousands of identifiers in succession.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.11 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagespystowpydantic |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 4 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 491,496 / month, #6,364 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/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleFramework :: PytestFramework :: SphinxFramework :: toxIntended Audience :: DevelopersNatural Language :: EnglishOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Typing :: Typed |
Evidence: curies-0.15.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also bioregistry · prefixcommons · prefixmaps · prison · rison · class-resolver · PyTrie · arcp · lazr.uri · pygtrie