---
id: h2o-wave
version: "1.8.12"
license: Apache-2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# h2o-wave — Python driver for H2O Wave Realtime Apps

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 277.7K/mo

## What it is and what it does

H2O Wave is a Python framework that lets you build interactive web applications without writing HTML, JavaScript, or CSS. It ships with pre-built form and data visualization components and handles real-time state synchronization between Python and web browsers through a relay server. The framework is designed for rapid prototyping of analytical and decision-support applications, particularly in data science and machine learning contexts.

You write your application logic in Python using async functions, define UI components declaratively, and Wave manages the browser communication automatically. The framework depends on Starlette and Uvicorn for the web server, Click for CLI tools, Httpx for HTTP requests, and Inquirer for terminal prompts. It supports Python 3.8 through 3.11 and is actively maintained with recent releases.

Use it for:

- Build real-time data dashboards and analytical applications without learning web technologies.
- Prototype machine learning model interfaces and decision-support tools quickly in Python.
- Create collaborative web applications where multiple users interact with shared state.
- Deploy low-latency interactive applications for data science workflows.
- Build form-based applications with built-in validation and visualization components.

## Worth the install?

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

H2O Wave is a Python framework for building interactive web applications with real-time state synchronization, form components, and data visualization—no HTML, JavaScript, or CSS required.

Yes. H2O Wave is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive Apache-2.0 license, and solves a real problem for Python developers who want to build interactive web applications without learning web technologies. It's well-suited for data science, dashboards, and analytical tools. No known vulnerabilities.

## Install

pip install h2o-wave
uv add h2o-wave
poetry add h2o-wave

## Installing h2o-wave

Before you install: Low friction: pure Python wheel with five common runtime dependencies (click, httpx, inquirer, starlette, uvicorn). Actively maintained with a recent release and 4248 repository stars.

License in practice: Apache-2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for most projects.

Quickstart:

pip install h2o-wave

from h2o_wave import main, app, Q, ui

@app('/')
async def serve(q: Q):
    q.page['hello'] = ui.markdown_card(
        box='1 1 3 3',
        title='Hello world!',
        content='Welcome to Wave!'
    )
    await q.page.save()

Requires Python 3.8 or later; the Wave relay server must be running (typically via `wave run` command) to synchronize state between Python and browsers.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the relay server is included in the pip package or must be installed separately.
- Performance characteristics and scalability limits for concurrent users or large datasets.
- Availability and maturity of third-party component libraries beyond built-in widgets.

## Package facts

- License: Apache-2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 277.7K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

python web app framework, interactive dashboard builder, real-time web applications, python ui components, low-code web framework, data visualization dashboard, python browser sync, web-framework, dashboard-builder, real-time-sync

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