---
id: docstring-parser
version: "0.18.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# docstring-parser — Parse Python docstrings in reST, Google and Numpydoc format

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Popularity: top 1,000 on PyPI

## Install

pip install docstring-parser
uv add docstring-parser
poetry add docstring-parser

## Description

docstring_parser
================

[![Build](https://github.com/rr-/docstring_parser/actions/workflows/build.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/rr-/docstring_parser/actions/workflows/build.yml)

Parse Python docstrings. Currently support ReST, Google, Numpydoc-style and
Epydoc docstrings.

Example usage:

```python
>>> from docstring_parser import parse
>>>
>>>
>>> docstring = parse(
...     '''
...     Short description
...
...     Long description spanning multiple lines
...     - First line
...     - Second line
...     - Third line
...
...     :param name: description 1
...     :param int priority: description 2
...     :param str sender: description 3
...     :raises ValueError: if name is invalid
...     ''')
>>>
>>> docstring.long_description
'Long description spanning multiple lines\n- First line\n- Second line\n- Third line'
>>> docstring.params[1].arg_name
'priority'
>>> docstring.raises[0].type_name
'ValueError'
```

Read [API Documentation](https://rr-.github.io/docstring_parser/).

# Installation

Installation using pip

```shell
pip install docstring_parser

# or if you want to install it in a virtual environment

python -m venv venv # create environment
source...

## AI interpretation — verify before relying

Parses Python docstrings in multiple formats (ReST, Google, Numpydoc, Epydoc) and extracts structured metadata like descriptions, parameters, return types, and exceptions.

Verdict: A lightweight, actively maintained parser for extracting structured metadata from Python docstrings across multiple formats. Zero runtime dependencies and permissive MIT licensing make it a low-friction choice for documentation tooling and code analysis.

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