flit-core
Distribution-building parts of Flit. See flit package for more information
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Flit-core is a lightweight, actively maintained build backend with no dependencies, permissive licensing, and strong popularity (top 1000 packages). It is worth installing if you are adopting Flit for packaging or if your build system requires it as a backend. No known vulnerabilities.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.8 or later; Python 2 modules can be distributed but must be importable on Python 3 without errors.
- Low install friction with no runtime dependencies.
- Actively maintained with recent releases and a healthy repository signal (2252 stars, last commit 2026-08-11).
License · maintenance · safety
BSD-3-Clause (permissive) — BSD-3-Clause permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
last release 2026-08-04 (10 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-11 · 2,252 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 37,722,336 downloads/mo, #722 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install flit-core
# In pyproject.toml:
[build-system]
requires = ["flit_core >=3.2,<4"]
build-backend = "flit_core.buildapi"
# Then: python -m build- Whether flit-core can be used standalone or requires the main flit package for certain workflows.
- Performance characteristics when packaging large projects or monorepos.
What it is and what it does
Flit-core is the build-backend component of Flit, a Python packaging tool designed to simplify the process of creating and publishing packages on PyPI. It reads minimal metadata from your module's docstring and `__version__` attribute, then generates wheels and source distributions without requiring extensive configuration. The tool is intended to reduce packaging friction and help developers avoid common mistakes.
As a build backend, flit-core is typically specified in a project's `pyproject.toml` file and invoked by standard Python build tools like `build`. It packages a single importable module or package at a time, automatically including subpackages and data files. The package is actively maintained, has no runtime dependencies, and supports current Python versions (3.8+).
Use it for
- Building and publishing a simple Python module to PyPI with minimal configuration overhead.
- Setting up a build backend in pyproject.toml for projects that want to avoid setuptools complexity.
- Creating wheel distributions for packages that follow Flit's metadata conventions.
- Automating package builds in CI/CD pipelines using standard Python build tools.
- Distributing Python 2 modules that remain importable on Python 3 without errors.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Flit-core is a lightweight, actively maintained build backend with no dependencies, permissive licensing, and strong popularity (top 1000 packages). It is worth installing if you are adopting Flit for packaging or if your build system requires it as a backend. No known vulnerabilities.
Install
flit-core on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. Actively maintained with recent releases and a healthy repository signal (2252 stars, last commit 2026-08-11).
Requires Python 3.8 or later; Python 2 modules can be distributed but must be importable on Python 3 without errors.
License in practice
BSD-3-Clause permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
Quickstart
pip install flit-core
# In pyproject.toml:
[build-system]
requires = ["flit_core >=3.2,<4"]
build-backend = "flit_core.buildapi"
# Then: python -m buildVerify before relying
- Whether flit-core can be used standalone or requires the main flit package for certain workflows.
- Performance characteristics when packaging large projects or monorepos.
Package facts
| License | BSD-3-Clause permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.8 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 10 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 37,722,336 / month, #722 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: flit_core-4.0.2-py3-none-any.whl
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