h5py

Read and write HDF5 files from Python

h5py Permissive license BSD-3-Clause Active ★ 2,247 v3.16.0 released 2026-03-06

Install

h5py on PyPI

pip

pip install h5py

uv

uv add h5py

poetry

poetry add h5py

Package facts

License	BSD-3-Clause (permissive)
Python support	supports the current Python release (>=3.10)
Install friction	medium — platform-specific wheel
Runtime dependencies	1 — numpy
Maintenance	actively maintained — 160 days since the last release
Last repo commit	2026-08-07
First released	2014-02-01
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: h5py-3.16.0-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp310-cp310-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp311-cp311-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp311-cp311-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp311-cp311-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp311-cp311-win_amd64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp311-cp311-win_arm64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp312-cp312-macosx_10_13_x86_64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp312-cp312-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp312-cp312-manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp312-cp312-manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; h5py-3.16.0-cp312-cp312-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl

Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: Information TechnologyIntended Audience :: Science/ResearchOperating System :: MacOS :: MacOS XOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIX :: LinuxOperating System :: UnixProgramming Language :: CythonProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: Free Threading :: 1 - UnstableProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonTopic :: DatabaseTopic :: Scientific/EngineeringTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules

About h5py

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

The h5py package provides both a high- and low-level interface to the HDF5 library from Python. The low-level interface is intended to be a complete wrapping of the HDF5 API, while the high-level component supports access to HDF5 files, datasets and groups using established Python and NumPy concepts.

A strong emphasis on automatic conversion between Python (Numpy) datatypes and data structures and their HDF5 equivalents vastly simplifies the process of reading and writing data from Python.

Wheels are provided for several popular platforms, with an included copy of the HDF5 library (usually the latest version when h5py is released).

You can also build h5py from source <https://docs.h5py.org/en/stable/build.html#source-installation>_ with any HDF5 stable release from version 1.10.4 onwards, although naturally new HDF5 versions released after this version of h5py may not work. Odd-numbered minor versions of HDF5 (e.g. 1.13) are experimental, and may not be supported.

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

h5py provides Python bindings to read and write HDF5 files, offering both high-level NumPy-friendly access and low-level HDF5 API wrapping for scientific data storage and retrieval.

Medium install friction due to compiled HDF5 dependencies, but mitigated by pre-built wheels for Python 3.10–3.12 across major platforms. Repository is actively maintained with recent commits and 2247 stars.

BSD-3-Clause permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, requiring only license and copyright notice retention.

Usage

pip install h5py
import h5py
import numpy as np
with h5py.File('data.h5', 'w') as f:
    f.create_dataset('dataset', data=np.array([1, 2, 3]))

Requires HDF5 library; wheels include it, but source builds need HDF5 1.10.4 or later installed separately.

Verdict: h5py is a stable, actively maintained library for HDF5 file I/O with strong NumPy integration and permissive licensing. Medium install friction is offset by comprehensive wheel coverage and no known vulnerabilities. Suitable for scientific and data-intensive applications.

Needs verification

Whether pre-built wheels include HDF5 library for all listed platforms or only a subset.
Performance characteristics compared to alternative HDF5 bindings for large-scale datasets.

hdf5 python interfaceread write hdf5 filesnumpy hdf5 data storagescientific data format pythonhierarchical data formathdf5 bindingspython hdf5 library