django-import-export

What it is and what it does

django-import-export is a Django application that lets you move data in and out of your models using common file formats like CSV, JSON, and XLSX. It works both programmatically and through a built-in Django Admin interface, so non-technical users can import or export data without writing code. The package handles reading files, mapping columns to model fields, validating data, and deciding whether to create new records or update existing ones.

It relies on tablib for format support and diff-match-patch for diffing, and integrates with Django's permission system to control who can import or export. It supports foreign keys, many-to-many relationships, custom transformations, and bulk operations. The Admin integration includes a preview step so users can review data before committing it to the database.

Use it for:

• Bulk-load user or reference data from CSV files into your Django models via the Admin UI.
• Export model instances to multiple formats (CSV, JSON, XLSX) for reporting or data portability.
• Set up scheduled imports via cron jobs to sync external data sources into your application.
• Migrate data between different platforms by exporting from one system and importing into Django.
• Provide non-technical staff with a UI to manage data imports without direct database access.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Handles import and export of data to and from Django models across multiple file formats (CSV, JSON, XLSX, etc.), with optional Django Admin integration for UI-driven operations.

Yes. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, low install friction, and solves a common Django problem with both programmatic and UI-driven workflows. It's suitable for production use if you need import/export functionality; the BSD license poses no restrictions.

Install

django-import-export on PyPI

pip install django-import-export

uv add django-import-export

poetry add django-import-export

Installing django-import-export

Before you install

Low friction installation with 3 runtime dependencies. Actively maintained with recent commits and no known vulnerabilities.

License in practice

BSD license (permissive); you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart

pip install django-import-export

from django_import_export import resources
from django_import_export.admin import ImportExportModelAdmin

class MyModelResource(resources.ModelResource):
    class Meta:
        model = MyModel

class MyModelAdmin(ImportExportModelAdmin):
    resource_class = MyModelResource

Requires Django 4.2 or later and Python 3.9 or later; Django must be installed and configured.

Verify before relying

• Performance characteristics when importing or exporting very large datasets.
• Specific validation error messages and how they surface in the Admin UI.
• Reliability of character encoding handling across different file sources.

Package facts

Evidence: django_import_export-4.4.1-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: django, import, export

Tags

More Software Development packages