---
id: empty-files
version: "0.0.9"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# empty-files — Serves empty files of many types

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 143.6K/mo

## What it is and what it does

empty-files generates minimal, valid empty files of various types—such as a 1x1 pixel JPG—to support the Null Object pattern in Python. Instead of returning None or null values that require defensive checks, code can return an empty file object and call methods on it directly without conditionals. The package depends on requests and supports Python 3.7.1 and later.

The package was last updated on 2023-07-30 and is now abandoned, meaning no active maintenance or bug fixes are expected. It remains available for use in projects that need lightweight test fixtures or placeholder files, but users should be aware that issues will not be addressed by the maintainers.

Use it for:

- Generate placeholder image files (e.g., 1x1 JPG) for testing without external dependencies.
- Create empty test fixtures of various file types for unit tests and approval testing.
- Implement the Null Object pattern to return valid empty files instead of None, eliminating null checks.
- Populate temporary directories with minimal valid files for integration tests.

## Worth the install?

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

Creates minimal valid empty files of various types—for example, a 1x1 pixel JPG—implementing the Null Object pattern to avoid null checks in code.

Yes, if you need lightweight empty file generation for testing. The low install friction and permissive license make it suitable for test suites. However, be aware the package is abandoned—no updates or fixes are forthcoming. Use it only for stable, self-contained use cases where you do not expect future support.

## Install

pip install empty-files
uv add empty-files
poetry add empty-files

## Installing empty-files

Before you install: Low install friction with a single dependency (requests). However, the package is marked abandoned with no releases since 2023-07-30, so maintenance and bug fixes are unlikely.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache Software License (permissive), allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install empty-files

from empty_files.empty_files import create_empty_file
create_empty_file("temp/empty.jpg")

Verify before relying:

- Which file types are supported beyond JPG—the fact sheet does not enumerate the full list of creatable file types.
- Whether the requests dependency is actually used at runtime or is a leftover from development.
- Current compatibility with Python versions beyond those listed, given the package is abandoned.

## Package facts

- License: not declared (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 143.6K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

empty file generator, null object pattern files, minimal valid empty files, create empty jpg png, placeholder file creation, test fixture files, empty file types, testing, null-object-pattern, fixtures

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