iso-639

What it is and what it does

iso-639 is a static language-code database library that wraps ISO 639 standard language codes into a queryable Python object. It contains no runtime dependencies and loads embedded data covering ISO 639-1, 639-2, 639-3, and 639-5. You query it by language code or name to retrieve the corresponding record with all available code representations.

The library was designed as a drop-in replacement for pycountry.languages v1.11, offering compatibility aliases (alpha2 → part1, bibliographic → part2b, terminology → part2t) alongside its native partX attribute names. It includes handling for retired language codes and macrolanguage mappings. However, the project has not been updated since 2016-04-29, and the embedded ISO data is from 2015, making it unsuitable for applications requiring current language standards or modern Python support.

Use it for:

• Convert between ISO 639 language code formats (e.g., 'an' to 'arg') in a legacy codebase.
• Look up the standard name of a language given its ISO 639-1 or 639-3 code in a multilingual application.
• Migrate from pycountry.languages v1.11 without rewriting language-lookup code.
• Build a static language selector in an application that does not require real-time ISO updates.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Provides a Python interface to ISO 639 language codes (parts 1, 2, 3, and 5), allowing you to look up language names and their various standardized code representations.

No. The package is dormant (last release 2016-04-29), its embedded ISO data is from 2015, and it declares support only for Python versions 2.6–3.5, all of which are out of support. The AGPLv3 license is also a significant constraint for proprietary projects. Use a maintained alternative instead unless you are locked into a legacy codebase that specifically depends on this package's API.

Install

iso-639 on PyPI

pip install iso-639

uv add iso-639

poetry add iso-639

Installing iso-639

Before you install

High install friction: the package has not been updated since 2016-04-29 and is marked dormant. Classifiers list Python 2.6 through 3.5, which are long out of support.

License in practice

Licensed under AGPLv3, which requires that any modifications or derivative works be released under the same license and that source code be made available to users. This is a strong copyleft obligation unsuitable for proprietary or closed-source projects.

Quickstart

from iso639 import languages

aragonese = languages.get(part1='an')
print(aragonese.name)  # 'Aragonese'
print(aragonese.part3)  # 'arg'

Verify before relying

• Whether the embedded ISO 639 data (dated 2015-05-05 for parts 2 and 3) is current enough for your use case.
• Compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.5 despite the dormant maintenance status.
• Whether the 7981 languages in the dataset includes all codes you need.

Package facts

Evidence: iso-639-0.4.5.tar.gz

Keywords: pycountry, languages, iso-639, iso, 639, 639-1, 639-2, 639-3, 639-5

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