---
id: lockfile
version: "0.12.2"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# lockfile — Platform-independent file locking module

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Popularity: top 1,000 on PyPI

## Install

pip install lockfile
uv add lockfile
poetry add lockfile

## Description

Note: This package is **deprecated**. It is highly preferred that instead of
using this code base that instead `fasteners`_ or `oslo.concurrency`_ is
used instead. For any questions or comments or further help needed
please email `openstack-dev`_ and prefix your email subject
with ``[oslo][pylockfile]`` (for a faster response).

.. _fasteners: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/fasteners
.. _oslo.concurrency: http://docs.openstack.org/developer/oslo.concurrency/
.. _openstack-dev: http://lists.openstack.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/openstack-dev

The lockfile package exports a LockFile class which provides a simple API for
locking files.  Unlike the Windows msvcrt.locking function, the fcntl.lockf
and flock functions, and the deprecated posixfile module, the API is
identical across both Unix (including Linux and Mac) and Windows platforms.
The lock mechanism relies on the atomic nature of the link (on Unix) and
mkdir (on Windows) system calls.  An implementation based on SQLite is also
provided, more as a demonstration of the possibilities it provides than as
production-quality code.

Note: In version 0.9 the API changed in two significant ways:

 * It changed...

## AI interpretation — verify before relying

Provides a cross-platform file locking API that works identically on Unix and Windows systems using atomic filesystem operations.

Verdict: While lockfile installs easily with zero dependencies and carries a permissive MIT license, it is explicitly deprecated and abandoned for over a decade. The maintainers themselves recommend fasteners or oslo.concurrency instead. Use only in legacy systems where replacement is infeasible.

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