---
id: future-fstrings
version: "1.2.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# future-fstrings — A backport of fstrings to python<3.6

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 749.7K/mo

## What it is and what it does

future-fstrings is a codec-based backport that allows you to write Python 3.6+ f-string syntax and run it on Python 2.7 and Python 3.4–3.5. You add a special encoding cookie to the top of your file, and the package intercepts the source at import time, rewriting f-strings into equivalent `.format()` calls before the Python interpreter sees them. This works by registering a custom UTF-8 codec on startup that uses tokenize-rt to perform the transformation.

The package also provides a command-line tool (`future-fstrings-show`) to pre-transform source files, useful for distributing code to platforms like micropython that don't support f-strings at all. However, the project is archived and no longer maintained, so it will not adapt to future Python changes or receive security updates.

Use it for:

- Maintain a single f-string codebase that runs on Python 2.7 and early Python 3 versions without duplicating syntax.
- Pre-transform source code before deploying to micropython or other embedded platforms that lack f-string support.
- Gradually migrate legacy Python 2.7 codebases to modern f-string syntax while maintaining backward compatibility during transition.

## Worth the install?

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

Enables f-string syntax in Python versions before 3.6 by transparently rewriting f-strings to `.format()` calls at import time via a custom codec.

No. The package is abandoned (last updated 2022-01-15) and targets Python versions that are themselves end-of-life. If you need f-strings on older Python, this was useful historically, but new projects should target Python 3.6+. Existing projects still on unsupported Python versions should prioritize upgrading rather than relying on unmaintained backports.

## Install

pip install future-fstrings
uv add future-fstrings
poetry add future-fstrings

## Installing future-fstrings

Before you install: Installation is straightforward with low friction, but the package is abandoned as of 2022-01-15 with no active maintenance. It was last released on 2019-06-16, so it will not receive updates for new Python versions or security issues.

License in practice: MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it safe to adopt from a licensing perspective.

Quickstart:

# Install
pip install future-fstrings

# At the top of your .py file, add:
# -*- coding: future_fstrings -*-

# Then write f-strings normally:
thing = 'world'
print(f'hello {thing}')

# Run on Python 2.7 or 3.4–3.5; the codec rewrites it to:
# print('hello {}'.format((thing)))

Requires Python 2.7 or 3.4–3.5 to run with the codec active; Python 3.6+ natively supports f-strings and does not need this package. The encoding cookie must be the first or second line of the file.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the codec approach remains reliable on modern Python interpreters beyond the versions it was tested against.
- Compatibility with third-party tools that parse or analyze Python source code (linters, type checkers, etc.).
- Whether Python 2.7 and Python 3.4–3.5 remain viable targets for new projects using this package.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 749.7K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

f-string backport python 2.7, fstring support older python, python 2 f-strings, format string compatibility, micropython f-string rewrite, legacy-python, syntax-transformation, codec

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