---
id: ics
version: "0.7.3"
license: Apache License, Version 2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# ics — Python icalendar (rfc5545) parser

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 688.6K/mo

## What it is and what it does

Ics.py is a Python library that abstracts away the complexity of the iCalendar format (RFC 5545), letting you create, read, and modify calendar files using straightforward Python objects instead of raw iCalendar syntax. It wraps the low-level format details so you can work with Calendar and Event objects directly, setting properties like name and begin time as simple attributes.

The library is designed for interoperability with widely-used calendar applications—Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Android, and others all use the .ics format. It depends on python-dateutil for date handling, arrow for timezone-aware datetimes, tatsu for parsing, and attrs for object construction. The package is actively maintained and supports Python 3.6 and later.

Use it for:

- Export calendar events from a web application as .ics files for use with calendar systems.
- Parse .ics files from external sources and extract event details programmatically.
- Build a calendar sync tool that reads and writes .ics files to keep multiple systems in sync.
- Generate recurring event definitions and todo items in iCalendar format without manually constructing RFC 5545 syntax.
- Integrate calendar functionality into a scheduling or booking application without learning the iCalendar specification.

## Worth the install?

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

Reads and writes iCalendar (RFC 5545) files in a pythonic, developer-friendly way, handling calendar events and todos without requiring knowledge of the iCalendar format.

Yes. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, permissive licensing, no known vulnerabilities, and solves a real problem—making iCalendar handling accessible. It's well-suited for any project that needs to read or write .ics files. The Beta status is a minor note but not a blocker for typical use.

## Install

pip install ics
uv add ics
poetry add ics

## Installing ics

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel and five straightforward runtime dependencies (python-dateutil, arrow, six, tatsu, attrs). The package is actively maintained with a recent release on 2026-04-15.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache License, Version 2.0 (permissive), which allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions—suitable for most projects.

Quickstart:

from ics import Calendar, Event
c = Calendar()
e = Event()
e.name = "My cool event"
e.begin = '2014-01-01 00:00:00'
c.events.add(e)
with open('my.ics', 'w') as f:
    f.writelines(c.serialize_iter())

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package fully supports all RFC 5545 edge cases or only a subset of the specification.
- Current test coverage and stability level given the Beta development status classifier.

## Package facts

- License: Apache License, Version 2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 688.6K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

icalendar parser python, ics file reader writer, calendar event parsing, rfc5545 implementation, google calendar python, create ics files programmatically, calendar-format, rfc5545

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