minimalmodbus
Easy-to-use Modbus RTU and Modbus ASCII implementation for Python
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, for stable Modbus RTU and Modbus ASCII serial communication. The package is mature, production-grade, and has minimal dependencies. Dormant maintenance is not a concern if you are integrating with established industrial hardware that does not require protocol updates. Install only if your use case is serial Modbus; verify this package does not support Modbus TCP before committing if that is required.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires a physical or virtual serial port connected to a Modbus RTU or Modbus ASCII device.
- Low install friction with a single pure-Python dependency (pyserial).
- Maintenance is dormant—last release was 2023-07-17, over a year ago—but the package is marked Production/Stable and has been actively maintained since 2011.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (permissive). You may use, modify, and distribute the package freely in commercial and private projects, provided you include a copy of the license and do not hold the authors liable.
last release 2023-07-17 (1124 days) · last repo commit 2024-04-04 · 344 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 146,831 downloads/mo, #11,088 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install minimalmodbus
import minimalmodbus
instrument = minimalmodbus.Instrument('/dev/ttyUSB0', 1) # port, slave address
temperature = instrument.read_register(0, 1) # register, decimals- Exact scope of 'convenience functions' for floats, strings, and long integers beyond basic register reads.
- Whether the package supports Modbus TCP or only serial (RTU/ASCII) variants.
- Performance characteristics or limits (e.g., max devices per master, request latency).
- Specific serial hardware requirements (e.g., voltage levels, connector types).
What it is and what it does
Minimalmodbus is a Python library that acts as a Modbus master, communicating with Modbus slave devices (sensors, controllers, PLCs) over serial connections using the Modbus RTU or Modbus ASCII protocols. It abstracts the low-level protocol details so you can read and write device registers with simple function calls, and includes helpers for working with multi-byte values like floats and strings without manual byte manipulation.
The package depends only on pyserial, a pure-Python serial port library, making it lightweight and portable across Linux, macOS, and Windows. It is marked Production/Stable and supports Python 3.8 and later. Maintenance is dormant (last release July 2023), but the codebase is mature and has been stable since its initial release in 2011, making it suitable for applications where active feature development is not required.
Use it for
- Read sensor values from industrial instruments over serial links using Modbus RTU or ASCII protocols.
- Write configuration or control commands to Modbus-enabled devices like motor drives, power supplies, or data loggers.
- Poll multiple Modbus slave devices sequentially from a single master application on a PC or embedded Linux system.
- Prototype or integrate legacy industrial equipment that speaks Modbus into a Python automation or monitoring script.
- Handle multi-byte sensor readings (floats, long integers) without manually managing byte order or register packing.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, for stable Modbus RTU and Modbus ASCII serial communication.
The package is mature, production-grade, and has minimal dependencies. Dormant maintenance is not a concern if you are integrating with established industrial hardware that does not require protocol updates. Install only if your use case is serial Modbus; verify this package does not support Modbus TCP before committing if that is required.
Install
minimalmodbus on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a single pure-Python dependency (pyserial). Maintenance is dormant—last release was 2023-07-17, over a year ago—but the package is marked Production/Stable and has been actively maintained since 2011. Suitable for stable, established use cases where active development is not expected.
Requires a physical or virtual serial port connected to a Modbus RTU or Modbus ASCII device.
License in practice
Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (permissive). You may use, modify, and distribute the package freely in commercial and private projects, provided you include a copy of the license and do not hold the authors liable.
Quickstart
pip install minimalmodbus
import minimalmodbus
instrument = minimalmodbus.Instrument('/dev/ttyUSB0', 1) # port, slave address
temperature = instrument.read_register(0, 1) # register, decimalsVerify before relying
- Exact scope of 'convenience functions' for floats, strings, and long integers beyond basic register reads.
- Whether the package supports Modbus TCP or only serial (RTU/ASCII) variants.
- Performance characteristics or limits (e.g., max devices per master, request latency).
- Specific serial hardware requirements (e.g., voltage levels, connector types).
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.8 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagepyserial |
| Maintenance | Dormant 1,124 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 146,831 / month, #11,088 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 :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: Information TechnologyIntended Audience :: ManufacturingIntended Audience :: Science/ResearchLicense :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software LicenseNatural Language :: EnglishOperating System :: MacOS :: MacOS XOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: OS IndependentOperating System :: POSIXProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: CommunicationsTopic :: Home AutomationTopic :: Scientific/EngineeringTopic :: Software Development :: LibrariesTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python ModulesTopic :: System :: Hardware :: Hardware DriversTopic :: Terminals :: Serial |
Evidence: minimalmodbus-2.1.1-py3-none-any.whl
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See also pymodbus · uModbus · async-modbus · huawei-solar · pyModbusTCP · nibe · python-ipmi · goodwe · pystiebeleltron · uart-devices