json-merge-patch
JSON Merge Patch library (https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7386)
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. The package is stable, dependency-free, and widely used (top 5000 on PyPI). It solves a specific, well-defined problem with no security vulnerabilities. The aging maintenance status is not a concern for a small, feature-complete library—install it if you need RFC 7386 merge semantics.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.9 or later.
- Low friction—no runtime dependencies outside the standard library.
- Aging maintenance status (last release 507 days ago), but the repository remains active and the package is widely used.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD (permissive) — BSD license is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely with minimal restrictions.
last release 2025-03-25 (507 days) · last repo commit 2025-03-25 · 36 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 5,199,053 downloads/mo, #2,143 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install json-merge-patch
import json_merge_patch
input1 = {"a": 1}
input2 = {"a": 2, "b": 3}
result = json_merge_patch.merge(input1, input2)
print(result) # {'a': 2, 'b': 3}- Whether the 507-day gap since last release indicates maintenance is stalled or simply stable.
- Performance characteristics when merging very large JSON structures.
What it is and what it does
json-merge-patch is a lightweight library that implements JSON Merge Patch as defined in RFC 7386. It provides two core operations: merge, which combines multiple dictionaries in sequence, and create_patch, which computes the minimal patch needed to transform one dictionary into another. The library works only with Python dictionaries and leaves JSON serialization/deserialization to the caller.
It has no external dependencies and runs on Python 3.9 or later. The package also includes a command-line interface for merging JSON files and generating patches without writing code. It's useful for configuration management, API responses, and any workflow where you need to apply or compute incremental changes to JSON data.
Use it for
- Merge configuration files or settings objects where later values override earlier ones.
- Generate minimal patches for API responses or data synchronization protocols.
- Build tools that need to apply incremental updates to JSON documents.
- Command-line workflows to combine or diff JSON files without scripting.
- Implement RFC 7386–compliant merge semantics in larger applications.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
The package is stable, dependency-free, and widely used (top 5000 on PyPI). It solves a specific, well-defined problem with no security vulnerabilities. The aging maintenance status is not a concern for a small, feature-complete library—install it if you need RFC 7386 merge semantics.
Install
json-merge-patch on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction—no runtime dependencies outside the standard library. Aging maintenance status (last release 507 days ago), but the repository remains active and the package is widely used.
Requires Python 3.9 or later.
License in practice
BSD license is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install json-merge-patch
import json_merge_patch
input1 = {"a": 1}
input2 = {"a": 2, "b": 3}
result = json_merge_patch.merge(input1, input2)
print(result) # {'a': 2, 'b': 3}Verify before relying
- Whether the 507-day gap since last release indicates maintenance is stalled or simply stable.
- Performance characteristics when merging very large JSON structures.
Package facts
| License | BSD permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.9 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Aging 507 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 5,199,053 / month, #2,143 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
Evidence: json_merge_patch-0.3.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also jsonpatch · dictdiffer · patch · condense-json · jsonpointer · diff-match-patch · pytest-html-merger · deepmerge · dict-recursive-update · patchy