---
id: flask-openid
version: "1.3.1"
license: BSD
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# Flask-OpenID — OpenID support for Flask

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 1.5M/mo

## What it is and what it does

Flask-OpenID is a Flask extension that integrates the original OpenID authentication protocol into web applications. It allows developers to add OpenID-based login flows where users authenticate through external OpenID providers rather than managing credentials directly in the application.

The package wraps the python3-openid library and provides Flask-specific decorators and utilities to simplify OpenID integration. However, the fact sheet and package description both note that this implements a very old and outdated version of OpenID—the OpenID Connect protocol is now the current standard. Most modern authentication scenarios use OAuth 2.0 or OpenID Connect instead. The package remains available for legacy systems or niche use cases where OpenID support is still required.

Use it for:

- Adding OpenID authentication to legacy Flask applications that already rely on the original OpenID protocol
- Integrating with systems or services that only support the original OpenID specification
- Maintaining backward compatibility in older web applications during gradual migration away from OpenID
- Educational or historical reference for understanding how OpenID authentication was implemented in Flask

## Worth the install?

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

Adds OpenID authentication support to Flask web applications, integrating the legacy OpenID protocol for user login and identity verification.

No, unless you are maintaining legacy code that specifically requires the original OpenID protocol. OpenID is obsolete; modern Flask applications should use OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, or other current authentication standards. The package is dormant (last release 810 days ago) and implements a protocol almost no one uses anymore. Install only if you have an explicit requirement to support existing OpenID infrastructure.

## Install

pip install flask-openid
uv add flask-openid
poetry add flask-openid

## Installing Flask-OpenID

Before you install: Low install friction with only two runtime dependencies (Flask and python3-openid). Maintenance is dormant—last release was 810 days ago in May 2024, though the repository remains active and the package supports current Python versions.

License in practice: BSD license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for most projects that can accept permissive licensing.

Quickstart:

pip install Flask-OpenID

from flask import Flask
from flask_openid import OpenID

app = Flask(__name__)
oid = OpenID(app)

Requires Flask and python3-openid to be installed; OpenID protocol itself is obsolete and rarely used in modern applications.

Verify before relying:

- Whether existing OpenID providers still operate and support this legacy protocol version
- Real-world compatibility with modern Flask versions beyond the stated Python 3 support
- Whether the underlying python3-openid dependency receives security updates

## Package facts

- License: BSD (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 1.5M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

openid authentication flask, flask login openid, legacy openid support, flask user authentication, openid identity provider, flask web authentication, openid protocol integration, legacy-protocol, authentication

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