---
id: etcd3
version: "0.12.0"
license: Apache Software License 2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# etcd3 — Python client for the etcd3 API

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 179.5K/mo

## What it is and what it does

etcd3 is a Python client for the etcd v3 distributed key-value store. It exposes etcd's core operations—get, put, delete—alongside higher-level primitives like distributed locks and conditional transactions. The library also supports watching keys or key prefixes for changes, either via iterators or callback functions.

The package is in pre-alpha status and has not been actively maintained since early 2020. While the repository is not archived and received a commit as recently as December 2024, the long gap between releases and the end-of-life Python versions in its classifiers suggest caution. It has no runtime dependencies, which simplifies deployment but may indicate incomplete feature coverage or reliance on system libraries.

Use it for:

- Build a distributed lock manager for coordinating access to shared resources across multiple application instances.
- Implement a configuration store that watches for changes and notifies clients when values are updated.
- Create conditional workflows using etcd transactions to atomically update multiple keys based on version checks.
- Monitor etcd keys for changes and trigger callbacks in response to specific events.
- Store and retrieve application state in a highly available, distributed key-value backend.

## Worth the install?

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

Python client library for etcd v3 that provides key-value storage operations, distributed locks, transactions, and watch capabilities for monitoring key changes.

No, unless you are locked into Python 2.7 or early Python 3 versions and have no alternative. The package is dormant, targets obsolete Python releases, and has not been updated in over five years. If you need an etcd v3 client for modern Python, investigate actively maintained alternatives or the official etcd Python client. If you must use this package, verify compatibility with your Python version and etcd server before committing.

## Install

pip install etcd3
uv add etcd3
poetry add etcd3

## Installing etcd3

Before you install: Installation friction is high; the package has been dormant since its last release on 2020-03-31, with no runtime dependencies listed but a source distribution that may require compilation. The repository remains active but receives infrequent updates.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache Software License 2.0, a permissive license that allows commercial use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for most projects.

Quickstart:

import etcd3

etcd = etcd3.client()
etcd.put('key', 'value')
value = etcd.get('key')

lock = etcd.lock('resource')
lock.acquire()
try:
    # critical section
    pass
finally:
    lock.release()

Requires a running etcd v3 server accessible on the network; the package itself targets Python 2.7, 3.4, and 3.5, which are end-of-life versions.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works reliably with modern Python versions (3.8+) despite classifiers listing only 2.7, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6.
- Current compatibility with recent etcd v3 API versions and any breaking changes since 2020.
- Whether high install friction reflects missing compiled dependencies or is a false signal.

## Package facts

- License: Apache Software License 2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 179.5K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

etcd v3 python client, distributed key-value store python, etcd watch and lock, python etcd3 api, key-value database client, distributed lock python, etcd transactions python, etcd, distributed-systems, key-value-store

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