---
id: intersystems-irispython
version: "5.4.0"
license: LicenseRef-InterSystems-External-Repository
license_treatment: unclear
maintenance: active
---

# intersystems-irispython — InterSystems IRIS Python SDK Kit

License: unclear · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 100.9K/mo

## What it is and what it does

intersystems-irispython is the official Python SDK for InterSystems IRIS, a multi-model database platform. It offers two primary interfaces: a native object API for direct global array manipulation and a DB-API 2.0-compliant interface for SQL queries. The package is distributed as platform-specific wheels with no external runtime dependencies, supporting Python 3.9 through 3.14.

Version 5.4.0 dropped Python 3.8 support and added enhancements including UUID type support, large stream handling, query timeout methods, and improved fetch performance. The DB-API layer includes a SQL parser supporting keywords like FETCH, LIMIT, OFFSET, and TO_VECTOR, plus support for date/time objects and ODBC-formatted strings as query parameters.

Use it for:

- Query IRIS databases using standard SQL via the DB-API interface and cursor objects.
- Manipulate IRIS global arrays directly from Python using native set/get/kill operations.
- Integrate IRIS systems with modern Python data pipelines and analytics workflows.
- Develop microservices that connect to shared IRIS instances for transactional workloads.
- Prototype or test IRIS database logic in Python before production deployment.

## Worth the install?

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

Provides Python bindings to connect to and interact with InterSystems IRIS databases, supporting both native object access and standard DB-API SQL queries.

Yes, with conditions. The package is actively maintained, supports current Python versions, and has no known vulnerabilities. Install friction is moderate due to platform-specific wheels. The critical condition is license clarity—verify that the InterSystems external repository license terms align with your project's requirements before production deployment. Suitable for teams already committed to IRIS as their database platform.

## Install

pip install intersystems-irispython
uv add intersystems-irispython
poetry add intersystems-irispython

## Installing intersystems-irispython

Before you install: Medium install friction due to platform-specific wheels covering macOS universal2, Linux aarch64/x86_64, and Windows 32/64-bit. Active maintenance with release 15 days ago; supports Python 3.9 through 3.14.

License in practice: License treatment is unclear—the package uses LicenseRef-InterSystems-External-Repository rather than a standard SPDX identifier. Verify licensing terms at https://www.intersystems.com/IERTU/ before committing to production use.

Quickstart:

pip install intersystems-irispython

# Native connection example from package documentation
args = {'hostname': '127.0.0.1', 'port': 1972, 'namespace': 'USER', 'username': 'user', 'password': 'pass'}
conn = iris.connect(**args)
irispy = iris.createIRIS(conn)
irispy.set('myGlobal', 'hello world!')
print(irispy.get('myGlobal'))
conn.close()

Requires a running InterSystems IRIS server instance accessible at the specified hostname and port with valid connection credentials.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the unclear license permits commercial or proprietary use without additional agreements.
- Performance characteristics and scalability limits for large result sets or concurrent workloads.
- Whether SSL/TLS configuration is required or recommended for production deployments.

## Package facts

- License: LicenseRef-InterSystems-External-Repository (unclear)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: medium
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 100.9K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

iris database python client, intersystems iris sdk, iris db-api connector, iris database driver, intersystems iris python, iris sql query python, iris global array access, database-driver, intersystems-iris

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