importlib-metadata

Read metadata from Python packages

importlib-metadata Permissive license Apache-2.0 Active ★ 141 v9.0.0 released 2026-03-20

Install

importlib-metadata on PyPI

pip

pip install importlib-metadata

uv

uv add importlib-metadata

poetry

poetry add importlib-metadata

Package facts

License	Apache-2.0 (permissive)
Python support	supports the current Python release (>=3.10)
Install friction	low — pure-Python wheel
Runtime dependencies	1 — zipp
Maintenance	actively maintained — 146 days since the last release
Last repo commit	2026-07-16
First released	2018-05-17
Popularity	one of the 100 most-downloaded packages on PyPI (30-day window, as of 2026-08-13)
Known vulnerabilities	none known (OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-13)

Evidence: importlib_metadata-9.0.0-py3-none-any.whl

Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: Only

About importlib-metadata

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

.. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/importlib_metadata.svg :target: https://pypi.org/project/importlib_metadata

.. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/importlib_metadata.svg

.. image:: https://github.com/python/importlib_metadata/actions/workflows/main.yml/badge.svg :target: https://github.com/python/importlib_metadata/actions?query=workflow%3A%22tests%22 :alt: tests

.. image:: https://img.shields.io/endpoint?url=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/astral-sh/ruff/main/assets/badge/v2.json :target: https://github.com/astral-sh/ruff :alt: Ruff

.. image:: https://readthedocs.org/projects/importlib-metadata/badge/?version=latest :target: https://importlib-metadata.readthedocs.io/en/latest/?badge=latest

.. image:: https://img.shields.io/badge/skeleton-2025-informational :target: https://blog.jaraco.com/skeleton

.. image:: https://tidelift.com/badges/package/pypi/importlib-metadata :target: https://tidelift.com/subscription/pkg/pypi-importlib-metadata?utm_source=pypi-importlib-metadata&utm_medium=readme

Library to access the metadata for a Python package.

This package supplies third-party access to the functionality...

Read as markdown · JSON record · Source repository

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

Provides third-party access to Python package metadata, backporting and extending the standard library's importlib.metadata with improvements from newer Python versions.

Low friction install with a single runtime dependency (zipp). Active maintenance with recent release (146 days ago) and ongoing repository activity. Requires Python 3.10 or later.

Apache-2.0 permissive license allows broad use including in commercial and proprietary projects with minimal restrictions.

Usage

pip install importlib-metadata

from importlib.metadata import version
print(version('importlib-metadata'))

Requires Python 3.10 or later (requires_python: >=3.10)

Verdict: A stable, actively maintained top-100 package with low install friction and no known vulnerabilities. Its permissive Apache-2.0 license and single lightweight dependency make it a safe choice for accessing package metadata across Python 3.10+.

Needs verification

Whether the package's backport features are necessary for your target Python versions or if the stdlib importlib.metadata suffices

read python package metadataimportlib metadata accesspackage distribution infoget installed package versionpython package introspectionmetadata discoverypackage entry points