---
id: django-libsass
version: "0.9"
license: BSD
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# django-libsass — A django-compressor filter to compile SASS files using libsass

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 1.0M/mo

## What it is and what it does

django-libsass bridges Django's static asset pipeline with Sass compilation by providing a django-compressor filter that uses libsass (a C/C++ port of the Sass engine) to compile SCSS files to CSS. It resolves relative paths and consults Django's STATICFILES_FINDERS, allowing imports across app boundaries, and provides a built-in static() function for generating URLs to static resources within Sass.

The package avoids external executable dependencies by calling libsass directly through Python bindings, making it faster and simpler to deploy than shell-based Sass compilers. It supports configurable output styles (nested, expanded, compact, compressed), source comments, sourcemaps, and custom functions, with sensible defaults tied to Django's DEBUG setting.

Use it for:

- Compile SCSS stylesheets to CSS during Django's asset collection phase without external build tools.
- Import Sass files across multiple Django apps using Django's static file discovery mechanism.
- Generate static asset URLs within Sass using the built-in static() function, keeping asset paths in sync with Django's configuration.
- Enable source comments and sourcemaps in development (DEBUG=True) for easier stylesheet debugging.
- Use custom Python functions within Sass templates to compute values or generate dynamic CSS.

## Worth the install?

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

Integrates Sass compilation into Django projects via django-compressor, using libsass to compile SCSS files to CSS during the asset pipeline.

Yes, if you are using django-compressor and need Sass compilation without external build dependencies. The low install friction, permissive license, and lack of known vulnerabilities make it safe to adopt. However, the dormant maintenance status (last release 2021-07-08) means you should verify compatibility with your Django and libsass versions before committing, and be prepared to maintain a fork if critical issues arise.

## Install

pip install django-libsass
uv add django-libsass
poetry add django-libsass

## Installing django-libsass

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-pip dependency chain (django-compressor, libsass, django-appconf). Maintenance is dormant—last release was 2021-07-08, though the repository remains active with a recent commit in 2024-11-22.

License in practice: BSD license (permissive) places no significant restrictions on use, modification, or distribution in most contexts.

Quickstart:

pip install django-libsass

# In Django settings.py:
COMPRESS_PRECOMPILERS = (
    ('text/x-scss', 'django_libsass.SassCompiler'),
)

# In template:
{% load compress %}
{% compress css %}
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="{% static 'style.scss' %}" type="text/x-scss">
{% endcompress %}

Requires django-compressor to be installed and configured in your Django project.

Verify before relying:

- Compatibility with Django versions released after 3.9 (classifiers stop at 3.9, latest release 2021-07-08).
- Whether libsass version constraints or C/C++ build dependencies affect installation on all platforms.
- Current status of libsass bindings and whether they remain maintained.

## Package facts

- License: BSD (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 1.0M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

django sass compilation, scss to css django, django-compressor sass filter, libsass django integration, sass asset pipeline django, django-asset-pipeline, css-preprocessor

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