hatchling
Modern, extensible Python build backend
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Hatchling is a production-stable, actively maintained build backend with no known vulnerabilities, low install friction, and strong community adoption. Install it when you need to declare a build system in your project's pyproject.toml—it is the right choice for modern Python packaging.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later.
- A build frontend must be available to invoke the backend.
- Low friction installation with a small, focused dependency tree.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in both open-source and commercial projects with minimal restrictions.
last release 2026-08-11 (3 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-13 · 7,221 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 484,194,815 downloads/mo, #83 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
# Add to your project's pyproject.toml:
[build-system]
requires = ["hatchling"]
build-backend = "hatchling.build"
# Then build with:
python -m build /path/to/project- Whether hatchling can be used standalone for projects not using the Hatch project manager itself
- Performance characteristics when building large or complex projects
- Extent of plugin or hook customization available beyond standard compliance
What it is and what it does
Hatchling is a build backend—the component that actually constructs and packages Python projects—designed to be used inside a project's pyproject.toml configuration. When you run a build frontend on a project configured with Hatchling, it handles the mechanics of reading your project metadata, resolving dependencies, and creating distributions. It is standards-compliant and extensible, meaning build frontends know how to invoke it, and projects can customize its behavior through hooks.
You don't typically install Hatchling as a runtime dependency for your own code; instead, you declare it in your project's build-system requires list so that build tools can use it when packaging your project. It's part of the Hatch ecosystem but can be used independently. The package is actively maintained, supports Python 3.10 through 3.14, and carries no known vulnerabilities.
Use it for
- Configure a Python project to build reproducibly using modern packaging standards without external build tools.
- Extend the build process with custom hooks to handle non-standard packaging requirements.
- Ensure compatibility with standard Python build frontends.
- Manage project metadata and dependencies declaratively in pyproject.toml without legacy setup.py.
- Build and distribute packages that work across CPython and PyPy implementations.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Hatchling is a production-stable, actively maintained build backend with no known vulnerabilities, low install friction, and strong community adoption. Install it when you need to declare a build system in your project's pyproject.toml—it is the right choice for modern Python packaging.
Install
hatchling on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction installation with a small, focused dependency tree. Actively maintained with a release 3 days ago and strong community backing (7221 GitHub stars). Supports modern Python versions from 3.10 onward.
Requires Python 3.10 or later. A build frontend must be available to invoke the backend.
License in practice
MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in both open-source and commercial projects with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
# Add to your project's pyproject.toml:
[build-system]
requires = ["hatchling"]
build-backend = "hatchling.build"
# Then build with:
python -m build /path/to/projectVerify before relying
- Whether hatchling can be used standalone for projects not using the Hatch project manager itself
- Performance characteristics when building large or complex projects
- Extent of plugin or hook customization available beyond standard compliance
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 6 packagespackagingpathspecpluggytomlitomlkittrove-classifiers |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 3 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 484,194,815 / month, #83 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersNatural Language :: EnglishOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Software Development :: Build ToolsTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: hatchling-1.32.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also hatch · hatch-cython · hatch-requirements-txt · hatch_build_scripts · hatchling-autoextras-hook · hatch-polylith-bricks · hatch-nodejs-version · pyproject-hooks · hatch-jupyter-builder · hatch-vcs