---
id: marshmallow-enum
version: "1.5.1"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# marshmallow-enum — Enum field for Marshmallow

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 7.4M/mo

## What it is and what it does

marshmallow-enum adds an EnumField type to Marshmallow, the popular schema validation and serialization library. It handles conversion between Python Enum objects and their serialized forms (typically strings or values) during schema operations. The field integrates directly into Marshmallow schemas and supports customization of how enums are serialized (by name or by value) and deserialized independently.

The package is straightforward to use: define a Python Enum, declare it as an EnumField in a Marshmallow schema, and the field handles the rest. It supports custom error messages and flexible load/dump behavior. However, the package has been abandoned since August 2019 with no recent updates or maintenance, which may pose compatibility risks with newer Marshmallow or Python versions.

Use it for:

- Serialize API responses containing enum values to JSON with readable names or numeric values
- Validate incoming form or API data against a fixed set of enum choices in a schema
- Convert between enum names and values when loading/dumping data in web frameworks
- Define database models with enum fields that need schema-level serialization support

## Worth the install?

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

Provides an Enum field type for Marshmallow schemas, enabling serialization and deserialization of Python Enum objects with customizable load/dump behavior.

Yes, if you are already using Marshmallow and need enum field support in an existing or stable codebase. The low install friction and permissive license make it a reasonable choice. However, be cautious: the package is unmaintained since 2019. Test compatibility with your Marshmallow and Python versions before adopting it in new projects, and monitor for any breaking changes in future Marshmallow releases.

## Install

pip install marshmallow-enum
uv add marshmallow-enum
poetry add marshmallow-enum

## Installing marshmallow-enum

Before you install: Low friction install with a single runtime dependency (marshmallow). However, the package is abandoned—last release was 2019-08-21, over 2550 days ago. No recent maintenance or updates.

License in practice: MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it safe for most projects from a licensing standpoint.

Quickstart:

pip install marshmallow-enum

from enum import Enum
from marshmallow import Schema
from marshmallow_enum import EnumField

class Color(Enum):
    red = 1
    green = 2

class MySchema(Schema):
    color = EnumField(Color)

schema = MySchema()
schema.dump({'color': Color.red})  # {'color': 'red'}
schema.load({'color': 'red'})      # {'color': Color.red}

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works with current Marshmallow versions (3.x+) despite being unmaintained
- Whether Python 3.10+ Enum changes affect compatibility
- Active community forks or maintained alternatives available

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 7.4M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

enum serialization marshmallow, enum field schema, marshmallow enum support, serialize python enums, enum validation schema, enum to json conversion, enum schema field, serialization, schema-validation

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