hightime
Hightime Python API
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if your domain requires sub-microsecond time precision. The package is actively maintained, has no dependencies, installs cleanly, carries a permissive license, and provides a familiar API. Install only if you actually need precision beyond microseconds; standard datetime is simpler and faster for typical applications.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low friction installation as a pure-Python wheel with no runtime dependencies.
- Actively maintained with recent commits and broad Python version support (3.9–3.13, CPython and PyPy).
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits both non-commercial and commercial use without restriction, making it suitable for proprietary or open-source projects.
last release 2025-10-02 (316 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-12 · 3 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 135,224 downloads/mo, #11,447 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install hightime
from hightime import datetime, timedelta
high_noon = datetime(year=1952, month=7, day=24, hour=12, minute=0, second=30)
hesitation = timedelta(microseconds=10, femtoseconds=203456)
reaction = high_noon + hesitation
print(reaction) # 1952-07-24 12:00:30.000010000203456- Performance overhead compared to standard datetime for typical use cases
- Memory footprint of high-precision time objects vs. built-in types
- Compatibility with third-party libraries expecting standard datetime objects
What it is and what it does
Hightime extends Python's time-handling capabilities by replacing the standard datetime and timedelta types with versions that preserve precision down to yoctoseconds. This allows developers working in scientific, engineering, or precision-timing domains to perform arithmetic and store timestamps without losing sub-microsecond information. The package maintains the familiar API of the standard library—constructors, operators, and string representations work as expected—but internally tracks time at much finer granularity.
The package is designed for scenarios where microsecond precision is insufficient: femtosecond-scale measurements, nanosecond-precision instrumentation, or any domain requiring sub-microsecond temporal resolution. It supports all standard datetime operations (addition, subtraction, comparison) and integrates cleanly into existing Python code that imports from hightime instead of the standard library.
Use it for
- Scientific instrumentation and measurement systems requiring sub-microsecond timestamp precision
- High-frequency trading or financial systems tracking events at femtosecond or nanosecond scales
- Physics simulations or quantum computing frameworks needing extreme temporal precision
- Precision timing analysis in embedded systems or real-time control applications
- Research data logging where microsecond granularity causes unacceptable information loss
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if your domain requires sub-microsecond time precision.
The package is actively maintained, has no dependencies, installs cleanly, carries a permissive license, and provides a familiar API. Install only if you actually need precision beyond microseconds; standard datetime is simpler and faster for typical applications.
Install
hightime on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction installation as a pure-Python wheel with no runtime dependencies. Actively maintained with recent commits and broad Python version support (3.9–3.13, CPython and PyPy).
License in practice
MIT license permits both non-commercial and commercial use without restriction, making it suitable for proprietary or open-source projects.
Quickstart
pip install hightime
from hightime import datetime, timedelta
high_noon = datetime(year=1952, month=7, day=24, hour=12, minute=0, second=30)
hesitation = timedelta(microseconds=10, femtoseconds=203456)
reaction = high_noon + hesitation
print(reaction) # 1952-07-24 12:00:30.000010000203456Verify before relying
- Performance overhead compared to standard datetime for typical use cases
- Memory footprint of high-precision time objects vs. built-in types
- Compatibility with third-party libraries expecting standard datetime objects
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release <4.0,>=3.9 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 316 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 135,224 / month, #11,447 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 :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: ManufacturingIntended Audience :: Science/ResearchLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIXProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPy |
Evidence: hightime-1.0.0-py3-none-any.whl
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