---
id: invenio-rest
version: "4.0.1"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# invenio-rest — REST API module for Invenio.

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 73.6K/mo

## What it is and what it does

Invenio-REST is a Flask extension that bundles REST API infrastructure for the Invenio digital library framework. It handles common REST concerns—error responses, HTTP semantics—and integrates Flask-CORS to support cross-origin requests when needed. The module is designed to be used within the broader Invenio ecosystem, where it provides a foundation for building REST endpoints on top of Invenio's data models and services.

The package depends on marshmallow for serialization, webargs for request parsing, and several other Invenio core modules. It is actively maintained and classified as production-stable. It is most useful if you are building a REST API within an Invenio application; standalone REST API projects would typically use Flask or a more general-purpose REST framework instead.

Use it for:

- Set up error handling and CORS for a REST API in an Invenio digital repository application.
- Initialize Flask-CORS conditionally in an Invenio app without manual middleware configuration.
- Provide a standardized REST foundation when extending Invenio with custom API endpoints.
- Integrate marshmallow-based request/response validation in an Invenio REST service.

## Worth the install?

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

Invenio-REST provides Flask-based REST API infrastructure with built-in error handling and optional CORS support for Invenio applications.

Yes, if you are building or extending an Invenio application with REST endpoints. The module is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive MIT license, and solves a real problem within the Invenio ecosystem. Not recommended for standalone REST projects outside Invenio.

## Install

pip install invenio-rest
uv add invenio-rest
poetry add invenio-rest

## Installing invenio-rest

Before you install: Low install friction with a wheel distribution and seven runtime dependencies. Active maintenance with a recent release 29 days ago; last commit on 2026-07-21.

License in practice: MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions—include a copy of the license and copyright notice.

Quickstart:

pip install invenio-rest

from invenio_rest import InvenioREST
from flask import Flask

app = Flask(__name__)
InvenioREST(app)

Requires Python >=3.8.

Verify before relying:

- Whether CORS is enabled by default or requires explicit configuration beyond InvenioREST initialization.
- Whether error handling covers all common REST scenarios or requires additional middleware setup.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 73.6K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

flask rest api framework, invenio rest module, rest api error handling, flask cors setup, invenio api infrastructure, invenio-framework, flask-extension

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/invenio-rest) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/invenio-rest/)