---
id: graphlib
version: "0.9.5"
license: BSD
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# graphlib — Graph API

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 97.5K/mo

## What it is and what it does

Graphlib is a Python library for working with graph data structures using a simple object-oriented API. It lets you create nodes, define relationships between them, and serialize the resulting graph into JSON format compatible with the JSON Graph Spec. It also includes a Neo4j loader that can push serialized graphs into a Neo4j database, either programmatically or via command-line interface.

The package has been abandoned since 2014-06-22 and targets only Python 2.7 and early Python 3 versions. It has no runtime dependencies, making installation straightforward in principle, but the source-only distribution and complete lack of maintenance mean it is not suitable for production use or integration with modern Python environments without significant testing and potential fixes.

Use it for:

- Prototyping graph data models in Python before loading them into Neo4j for persistence.
- Converting graph structures to JSON for storage, transmission, or documentation purposes.
- Building small-scale graph applications that do not require ongoing maintenance or compatibility with current Python versions.

## Worth the install?

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

Provides a Python API for creating, serializing, and loading graph data structures conforming to the JSON Graph Spec, with built-in support for Neo4j database integration.

No. The package is abandoned, targets obsolete Python versions (2.7, 3.2–3.3), and has not been updated since 2014-06-12. While it has no known vulnerabilities and carries a permissive license, the lack of maintenance and untested compatibility with modern Python make it unsuitable for new projects.

## Install

pip install graphlib
uv add graphlib
poetry add graphlib

## Installing graphlib

Before you install: Installation friction is high due to source distribution format. More critically, the package is abandoned—last commit was 2014-06-22, over a decade ago. It targets Python 2.7 and Python 3.2–3.3, versions long out of support. No active maintenance or security updates.

License in practice: Licensed under BSD (permissive), which allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions. No notable licensing barriers to adoption.

Quickstart:

pip install graphlib
from graphlib import Node, serialize

city = Node({'location': 'Philadelphia'})
jane = Node({'name': 'Jane'})
city.relate([jane], 'LIVES_IN')
data = serialize(city)

Package targets Python 2.7 and 3.2–3.3; compatibility with modern Python versions is untested and likely broken.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package actually works on modern Python versions despite classifier claims of only 2.7 and 3.2–3.3 support.
- Current status of Neo4j integration—whether the loader works with modern Neo4j server versions.
- Whether JSON Graph Spec conformance is still relevant or if the spec itself has evolved since 2014.

## Package facts

- License: BSD (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 97.5K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

graph data structure library, json graph serialization, neo4j python loader, node relationship api, graph database integration, abandoned, legacy-python

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