jaraco.windows
Windows Routines by Jason R. Coombs
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you are developing on Windows and need access to Windows APIs or cross-platform symlink support. The package is stable (Production/Stable status), actively maintained, MIT-licensed, and has low install friction. It is Windows-only and requires Python 3.9+, so it is not suitable for non-Windows platforms.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Windows-only; requires Python 3.9 or later.
- The symlink functionality requires Windows Vista or later.
- Low install friction with a wheel distribution.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license is permissive, allowing free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for both open-source and commercial projects.
last release 2025-05-29 (442 days) · last repo commit 2026-04-13 · 29 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 81,813 downloads/mo, #14,199 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install jaraco-windows
import jaraco.windows.filesystem as fs
fs.patch_os_module() # Enable os.symlink on Windows
os.symlink(target, link_name, target_is_directory=True)- Exact scope and completeness of Windows APIs covered by the package beyond filesystem and symlink operations.
- Performance characteristics when calling Windows APIs through ctypes versus native implementations.
- Compatibility with Windows 11 and recent Windows Server versions.
What it is and what it does
jaraco.windows is a pure-Python wrapper around Windows system APIs using ctypes, designed to provide access to Windows-specific functionality as needed by contributors rather than as an exhaustive API surface. It includes modules for filesystem operations, registry access, and other Windows system interactions, all implemented without compiled extensions.
The package is most commonly used to add Unix-like symlink support to the os module on Windows systems. By importing and calling the filesystem module's patch function, developers can use os.symlink and os.readlink on Windows Vista and later with the same interface as Unix, with an additional optional parameter to specify directory targets. It depends on a suite of jaraco utility packages for iteration, UI, collections, text, and functional programming helpers.
Use it for
- Add Unix-compatible symlink support to Python code running on Windows Vista or later.
- Access Windows registry, file system metadata, or other Windows APIs from pure Python without writing C extensions.
- Monkeypatch the os module in a sitecustomize or usercustomize file to enable cross-platform symlink code.
- Integrate Windows system calls into cross-platform applications that need Windows-specific behavior.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you are developing on Windows and need access to Windows APIs or cross-platform symlink support.
The package is stable (Production/Stable status), actively maintained, MIT-licensed, and has low install friction. It is Windows-only and requires Python 3.9+, so it is not suitable for non-Windows platforms.
Install
jaraco-windows on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a wheel distribution. The package is actively maintained with a recent commit on 2026-04-13 and has been in production use since 2009, though it depends on eight runtime packages including jaraco.ui, jaraco.collections, and others from the jaraco ecosystem.
Windows-only; requires Python 3.9 or later. The symlink functionality requires Windows Vista or later.
License in practice
MIT license is permissive, allowing free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for both open-source and commercial projects.
Quickstart
pip install jaraco-windows
import jaraco.windows.filesystem as fs
fs.patch_os_module() # Enable os.symlink on Windows
os.symlink(target, link_name, target_is_directory=True)Verify before relying
- Exact scope and completeness of Windows APIs covered by the package beyond filesystem and symlink operations.
- Performance characteristics when calling Windows APIs through ctypes versus native implementations.
- Compatibility with Windows 11 and recent Windows Server versions.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.9 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 8 packagesmore_itertoolsjaraco.uijaraco.collectionsjaraco.textjaraco.structurespathtemporajaraco.functools |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 442 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 81,813 / month, #14,199 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 :: DevelopersOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: Only |
Evidence: jaraco_windows-5.10.0-py3-none-any.whl
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