h2

Pure-Python HTTP/2 protocol implementation

h2 Permissive license MIT Active ★ 1,038 v4.4.1 released 2026-08-03

Install

h2 on PyPI

pip

pip install h2

uv

uv add h2

poetry

poetry add h2

Package facts

License	MIT (permissive)
Python support	supports the current Python release (>=3.10)
Install friction	low — pure-Python wheel
Runtime dependencies	2 — hyperframe, hpack
Maintenance	actively maintained — 10 days since the last release
Last repo commit	2026-08-05
First released	2015-10-15
Popularity	one of the top 1,000 most-downloaded packages on PyPI (30-day window, as of 2026-08-13)
Known vulnerabilities	none known (OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-13)

Evidence: h2-4.4.1-py3-none-any.whl

Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPython

About h2

from the package's own PyPI description — quoted content, verbatim

========================= h2: HTTP/2 Protocol Stack =========================

.. image:: https://github.com/python-hyper/h2/workflows/CI/badge.svg :target: https://github.com/python-hyper/h2/actions :alt: Build Status .. image:: https://codecov.io/gh/python-hyper/h2/branch/master/graph/badge.svg :target: https://codecov.io/gh/python-hyper/h2 :alt: Code Coverage .. image:: https://readthedocs.org/projects/h2/badge/?version=latest :target: https://h2.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ :alt: Documentation Status .. image:: https://img.shields.io/badge/chat-join_now-brightgreen.svg :target: https://gitter.im/python-hyper/community :alt: Chat community

.. image:: https://raw.github.com/python-hyper/documentation/master/source/logo/hyper-black-bg-white.png

This repository contains a pure-Python implementation of a HTTP/2 protocol stack. It's written from the ground up to be embeddable in whatever program you choose to use, ensuring that you can speak HTTP/2 regardless of your programming paradigm.

You use it like this:

.. code-block:: python

import h2.connection
import h2.config

config = h2.config.H2Configuration()
conn =...

Read as markdown · JSON record · Source repository · Homepage · Docs

AI interpretation — verify before relying

AI-generated interpretation of the package facts above; every digit, version, license, or vulnerability id it cites is grounded in the facts already shown on this page

h2 is a pure-Python HTTP/2 protocol implementation that handles frame-level communication, header encoding, and stream management for embedding HTTP/2 support into any Python application.

Installation is straightforward with low friction: h2 is a pure-Python wheel with only two lightweight runtime dependencies (hyperframe and hpack). The project maintains active development with a release 10 days ago and commits through August 2026, indicating ongoing maintenance.

h2 is released under the MIT License, a permissive license that allows free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for both open-source and commercial projects.

Usage

import h2.connection
import h2.config

config = h2.config.H2Configuration()
conn = h2.connection.H2Connection(config=config)
conn.send_headers(stream_id=1, headers=[(b':method', b'GET')])
data = conn.data_to_send()
# Send data over socket, then receive and parse responses

Requires Python 3.10 or later; h2 provides protocol logic only—you must handle socket I/O and concurrency yourself.

Verdict: h2 is a stable, actively maintained HTTP/2 implementation suitable for production use. With no known vulnerabilities, minimal dependencies, and permissive licensing, it's a reliable choice for projects needing HTTP/2 protocol support. The low install friction and broad Python version support (3.10–3.14) make adoption straightforward.

Needs verification

Whether h2 is suitable for high-throughput or latency-sensitive applications compared to alternatives
Performance characteristics and benchmarks relative to other HTTP/2 implementations

HTTP/2 protocol implementationpure Python HTTP/2HTTP/2 frame handlingh2 connection managementHTTP/2 stream multiplexingembeddable HTTP/2 stackHTTP/2 header compression