IMAPClient
Easy-to-use, Pythonic and complete IMAP client library
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. IMAPClient is production-stable, actively maintained, has zero known vulnerabilities, and installs with no friction. It's the right choice if you need to programmatically interact with IMAP servers from Python. The permissive BSD license poses no restrictions for most use cases.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.8 or later; IMAP server credentials and network access needed at runtime.
- Low install friction; pure Python wheel with no runtime dependencies.
- Actively maintained with recent commits and a stable release cadence since 2013.
License · maintenance · safety
3-Clause BSD License (permissive) — 3-Clause BSD License is permissive; you may use, modify, and distribute IMAPClient freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.
last release 2026-01-17 (209 days) · last repo commit 2026-06-28 · 561 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 2,534,744 downloads/mo, #3,017 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install imapclient
from imapclient import IMAPClient
client = IMAPClient('imap.example.com')
client.login('user@example.com', 'password')
mailbox = client.select_folder('INBOX')
messages = client.fetch(client.search(), ['BODY[]'])- Whether the library supports OAuth2 or modern authentication beyond plain-text credentials.
- Performance characteristics when handling mailboxes with very large message counts.
- Whether internationalized mailbox name handling covers all IMAP server implementations.
What it is and what it does
IMAPClient is a Python library that wraps the IMAP protocol, letting you connect to email servers and work with mailboxes and messages using natural Python types instead of raw IMAP commands. It handles the low-level protocol details—parsing server responses, managing message UIDs, converting time zones, and supporting internationalized mailbox names—so you can focus on application logic.
The library is designed for developers building email clients, migration tools, or automation scripts that need reliable IMAP access. It supports Python versions 3.8 through 3.13 and includes comprehensive unit and functional tests. With no external runtime dependencies and a pure-Python wheel, it installs cleanly and runs on any platform.
Use it for
- Build an email client or mail reader that connects to IMAP servers and displays folder contents.
- Automate email archival or migration tasks by fetching messages from one server and moving them elsewhere.
- Create a mail filter or rule engine that searches mailboxes and performs actions on matching messages.
- Sync email data to a local database or search index for offline access or analytics.
- Monitor specific mailboxes for new messages and trigger workflows or notifications.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
IMAPClient is production-stable, actively maintained, has zero known vulnerabilities, and installs with no friction. It's the right choice if you need to programmatically interact with IMAP servers from Python. The permissive BSD license poses no restrictions for most use cases.
Install
imapclient on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction; pure Python wheel with no runtime dependencies. Actively maintained with recent commits and a stable release cadence since 2013.
Requires Python 3.8 or later; IMAP server credentials and network access needed at runtime.
License in practice
3-Clause BSD License is permissive; you may use, modify, and distribute IMAPClient freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install imapclient
from imapclient import IMAPClient
client = IMAPClient('imap.example.com')
client.login('user@example.com', 'password')
mailbox = client.select_folder('INBOX')
messages = client.fetch(client.search(), ['BODY[]'])Verify before relying
- Whether the library supports OAuth2 or modern authentication beyond plain-text credentials.
- Performance characteristics when handling mailboxes with very large message counts.
- Whether internationalized mailbox name handling covers all IMAP server implementations.
Package facts
| License | 3-Clause BSD License permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.8.0 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 209 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 2,534,744 / month, #3,017 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 :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseNatural Language :: EnglishOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Topic :: Communications :: Email :: Post-Office :: IMAPTopic :: InternetTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python ModulesTopic :: System :: Networking |
Evidence: imapclient-3.1.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also aioimaplib · imap-tools · mailsuite · robotframework-imaplibrary2 · apache-airflow-providers-imap · aiosmtplib · email-normalize · mailtrap · mail-parser · redmail