flit
A simple packaging tool for simple packages.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Flit is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and is widely used (top 5000 on PyPI). Install it if you're publishing a straightforward Python package and want to avoid setuptools complexity; it's particularly valuable for single-module projects or when you prefer declarative metadata in pyproject.toml.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.8 or later; your module's docstring must start with a one-line summary and include a __version__ attribute.
- Low friction installation with a pure-Python wheel.
- Actively maintained with a recent release (10 days old) and steady commit activity.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD-3-Clause (permissive) — BSD-3-Clause is permissive; you can use Flit in commercial and proprietary projects without restriction, though you must include the license notice.
last release 2026-08-04 (10 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-11 · 2,252 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 17,196,538 downloads/mo, #1,128 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install flit
flit init # in your module directory
flit publish # upload to PyPI- Whether Flit supports building binary extensions or only pure-Python packages
- Performance characteristics when packaging large projects with many subpackages
What it is and what it does
Flit is a packaging tool designed to reduce friction when publishing Python modules and packages to PyPI. It extracts package metadata—name, version, and description—directly from your module's docstring and __version__ attribute, eliminating the need to maintain that information in separate configuration files. You initialize a project with `flit init` to generate a minimal pyproject.toml, then use `flit publish` to upload to PyPI.
The tool is aimed at developers who want a straightforward path from a working module to a published package without wrestling with setuptools configuration. It handles wheel building automatically and can also install packages locally for development. Flit packages a single importable module or package at a time, automatically including all subpackages and data files within it.
Use it for
- Publishing a simple single-file Python module to PyPI with minimal metadata boilerplate
- Setting up a new package project quickly using flit init to generate pyproject.toml
- Installing your own package locally in editable mode during development
- Converting legacy flit.ini configurations to modern pyproject.toml format
- Distributing Python 2 modules that remain importable on Python 3
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Flit is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and is widely used (top 5000 on PyPI). Install it if you're publishing a straightforward Python package and want to avoid setuptools complexity; it's particularly valuable for single-module projects or when you prefer declarative metadata in pyproject.toml.
Install
flit on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction installation with a pure-Python wheel. Actively maintained with a recent release (10 days old) and steady commit activity. Depends on flit_core, requests, docutils, tomli-w, and pip—all standard ecosystem tools.
Requires Python 3.8 or later; your module's docstring must start with a one-line summary and include a __version__ attribute.
License in practice
BSD-3-Clause is permissive; you can use Flit in commercial and proprietary projects without restriction, though you must include the license notice.
Quickstart
pip install flit
flit init # in your module directory
flit publish # upload to PyPIVerify before relying
- Whether Flit supports building binary extensions or only pure-Python packages
- Performance characteristics when packaging large projects with many subpackages
Package facts
| License | BSD-3-Clause permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.8 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 5 packagesflit_corerequestsdocutilstomli-wpip |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 10 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 17,196,538 / month, #1,128 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Intended Audience :: DevelopersProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: flit-4.0.2-py3-none-any.whl
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