futures
Backport of the concurrent.futures package from Python 3
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No, unless you are actively maintaining a Python 2 codebase that requires concurrent.futures. The package is abandoned, and Python 3 includes concurrent.futures in its standard library. If you are on Python 3, do not install; if you must support Python 2, use ThreadPoolExecutor only and avoid ProcessPoolExecutor.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python >=2.6, <3.
- Will not install on Python 3.
- ProcessPoolExecutor has known unfixable problems on Python 2 and should not be used for mission-critical work.
License · maintenance · safety
PSF (permissive) — Licensed under the Python Software Foundation License (permissive), which allows use in proprietary and open-source projects with minimal restrictions.
last release 2022-10-31 (1383 days) · last repo commit 2022-10-31 · 236 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 3,123,547 downloads/mo, #2,740 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install futures
from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=4) as executor:
future = executor.submit(some_function, arg)
result = future.result()- Whether the known ProcessPoolExecutor issues documented in Issue 29 affect your specific use case.
- Current state of downstream packages that may depend on this backport.
- Whether Python 2 end-of-life status impacts your deployment environment.
What it is and what it does
This package brings Python 3's concurrent.futures module to Python 2.6 and 2.7, enabling developers to write concurrent code using thread and process pools. It is a pure backport of the standard library module, allowing Python 2 codebases to use the same executor API that Python 3 provides natively.
The package is now abandoned and should only be installed for maintaining existing Python 2 codebases. The package explicitly warns against using ProcessPoolExecutor for mission-critical work due to unfixable problems. ThreadPoolExecutor is the safer choice if you must use this backport.
Use it for
- Running background tasks concurrently in legacy Python 2 applications using ThreadPoolExecutor.
- Parallelizing work across multiple threads in Python 2 codebases with ThreadPoolExecutor.
- Conditional dependency in setup.py for packages that support both Python 2 and 3 using environment markers.
- Maintaining existing Python 2 applications that already depend on concurrent.futures.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No, unless you are actively maintaining a Python 2 codebase that requires concurrent.futures.
The package is abandoned, and Python 3 includes concurrent.futures in its standard library. If you are on Python 3, do not install; if you must support Python 2, use ThreadPoolExecutor only and avoid ProcessPoolExecutor.
Install
futures on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is abandoned as of 2022-10-31 with no active maintenance. Only install if you are actively maintaining legacy Python 2 code.
Requires Python >=2.6, <3. Will not install on Python 3. ProcessPoolExecutor has known unfixable problems on Python 2 and should not be used for mission-critical work.
License in practice
Licensed under the Python Software Foundation License (permissive), which allows use in proprietary and open-source projects with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install futures
from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=4) as executor:
future = executor.submit(some_function, arg)
result = future.result()Verify before relying
- Whether the known ProcessPoolExecutor issues documented in Issue 29 affect your specific use case.
- Current state of downstream packages that may depend on this backport.
- Whether Python 2 end-of-life status impacts your deployment environment.
Package facts
| License | PSF permissive |
| Python support | Capped below the current Python release >=2.6, <3 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 1,383 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 3,123,547 / month, #2,740 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: Python Software Foundation LicenseProgramming Language :: Python :: 2 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 2.6Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7 |
Evidence: futures-3.4.0-py2-none-any.whl
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See also multiprocessing · requests-futures · futurist · Flask-Executor · fastcore · subprocess32 · pqdm · asyncio · bounded-pool-executor · Flask-Threads