eight
Python 2 to the power of 3. A lightweight porting helper library.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No, unless you are actively maintaining a Python 2.7 codebase that cannot be migrated. The package is abandoned (last release 2021-03-16), and no security updates are forthcoming. For new projects, use Python 3 directly. For legacy systems, consider migrating to Python 3 or use a more actively maintained compatibility layer if absolutely necessary.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 2.7 or Python 3.3+ to function; project is abandoned as of 2021-03-16.
- Low install friction with a single pure-Python dependency (future).
- However, the package is abandoned—last release was 2021-03-16 with no activity since.
License · maintenance · safety
Apache Software License (permissive) — Licensed under Apache Software License (permissive). You can use, modify, and distribute this code freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.
last release 2021-03-16 (1977 days) · last repo commit 2021-03-16 · 46 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 139,594 downloads/mo, #11,296 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install eight
from eight import *
from eight import queue
from __future__ import print_function, division, unicode_literals, absolute_import- Whether the package actually works reliably on modern Python 3 versions beyond 3.4 (last tested version in classifiers).
- How well the i18n support compares to six or python-future in practice.
- Whether abandonment affects compatibility with current Python 2 or 3 minor releases.
- Current viability for Python 2.7 environments given the age of the last release.
What it is and what it does
Eight is a lightweight Python 2–3 compatibility layer that lets you write code targeting Python 3.3+ while running it on Python 2.7 without code changes. It backports Python 3 builtins (like print as a function, new-style division, and unicode literals) and renamed modules (queue, configparser, etc.) to their Python 2 equivalents, and can optionally wrap standard I/O and environment variables to behave like Python 3.
The package depends only on future and installs as a pure-Python wheel. It is designed to be a lighter alternative to six or python-future, with an explicit bias toward Python 3: removing eight from your code leaves it functioning normally on Python 3. However, the project has been abandoned since 2021-03-16, making this relevant only for maintaining legacy systems.
Use it for
- Maintain a single codebase that runs on both Python 2.7 and Python 3 without conditional imports or version checks.
- Port Python 3 code to Python 2.7 environments where migration is not yet possible.
- Wrap standard input/output to handle text consistently across Python 2 and 3 in legacy applications.
- Decode command-line arguments and environment variables uniformly across Python versions in existing tools.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No, unless you are actively maintaining a Python 2.7 codebase that cannot be migrated.
The package is abandoned (last release 2021-03-16), and no security updates are forthcoming. For new projects, use Python 3 directly. For legacy systems, consider migrating to Python 3 or use a more actively maintained compatibility layer if absolutely necessary.
Install
eight on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a single pure-Python dependency (future). However, the package is abandoned—last release was 2021-03-16 with no activity since. Use only if maintaining legacy Python 2.7 codebases.
Requires Python 2.7 or Python 3.3+ to function; project is abandoned as of 2021-03-16.
License in practice
Licensed under Apache Software License (permissive). You can use, modify, and distribute this code freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install eight
from eight import *
from eight import queue
from __future__ import print_function, division, unicode_literals, absolute_importVerify before relying
- Whether the package actually works reliably on modern Python 3 versions beyond 3.4 (last tested version in classifiers).
- How well the i18n support compares to six or python-future in practice.
- Whether abandonment affects compatibility with current Python 2 or 3 minor releases.
- Current viability for Python 2.7 environments given the age of the last release.
Package facts
| License | Apache Software License permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagefuture |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 1,977 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 139,594 / month, #11,296 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software LicenseOperating System :: MacOS :: MacOS XOperating System :: POSIXProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: eight-1.0.1-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also six · configparser2 · future · pickle5 · backports.csv · enum-compat · asyncio · configparser · django-utils-six · traceback2