---
id: google-compute-engine
version: "2.8.13"
license: Apache Software License
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# google-compute-engine — Google Compute Engine

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 156.4K/mo

## What it is and what it does

This is a legacy Python package that provided the guest environment tooling historically installed on Google Compute Engine Linux images. It includes scripts and daemons that read the GCE metadata server to configure virtual machines on the platform—handling hostname setup, system initialization, and other on-boot configuration tasks. The package is now deprecated and archived; Google has moved these functions into separate packages distributed as native system packages rather than PyPI modules.

The PyPI version exists mainly as a legacy artifact. It targets Python 2.6 through 3.7 and has received no updates since 2019-01-24. If you are running a GCE instance, the native system packages installed by Google's repositories are the current standard. This PyPI package should only be considered if you have a specific reason to use the old Python-based guest environment code.

Use it for:

- Troubleshooting or inspecting legacy GCE instances running very old images that still use the Python-based guest environment.
- Accessing GCE metadata server from a custom Python script on an older instance where native packages are not available.
- Historical reference or porting work when migrating from very old GCE deployments to modern infrastructure.
- Development or testing of GCE metadata interaction patterns in environments where native packages cannot be installed.

## Worth the install?

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

Provides Python bindings and utilities for interacting with Google Compute Engine metadata and guest environment configuration on Linux VMs.

No. This package is abandoned (last commit 2021-10-28, last release 2019-01-24) and targets end-of-life Python versions. Install this only if you are maintaining a legacy system that explicitly requires the old Python-based guest environment code. For any new or modern GCE workload, use the native system packages from Google Cloud repositories instead.

## Install

pip install google-compute-engine
uv add google-compute-engine
poetry add google-compute-engine

## Installing google-compute-engine

Before you install: High install friction; the package is abandoned (last commit 2021-10-28) and has not been updated since 2019-01-24. It targets Python 2.6–3.7, which are end-of-life versions.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache Software License (permissive). No restrictions on commercial or private use, modification, or redistribution provided the license is included.

Quickstart:

pip install google-compute-engine==2.8.13

import google_compute_engine
# Access GCE metadata and guest environment configuration

Targets Python 2.6–3.7 (end-of-life versions); modern Python interpreters may not support this package.

Verify before relying:

- Whether this package remains functional with modern Python versions or GCE API changes since its last release.
- Whether the metadata server communication channel still works with current GCE instances.
- Recommended replacement path for new projects beyond the deprecated-packages table.

## Package facts

- License: Apache Software License (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 156.4K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

google compute engine python library, gce metadata server access, google cloud vm guest environment, compute engine instance metadata, gce python client, google cloud linux guest tools, deprecated, gce-legacy

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