---
id: msgpack-python
version: "0.5.6"
license: Apache 2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# msgpack-python — MessagePack (de)serializer.

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 1.3M/mo

## What it is and what it does

msgpack-python is a deprecated binary serialization library that once provided MessagePack encoding and decoding for Python. It was last released on 2018-03-10 and has been abandoned since then. The package itself directs all users to install msgpack instead, which is the actively maintained successor.

Do not install this package for new projects. If you encounter it as a transitive dependency, update your dependency tree to use msgpack directly. The high install friction combined with complete abandonment makes this package unsuitable for any current use.

Use it for:

- Maintaining legacy code that explicitly requires msgpack-python==0.5.6 and cannot be updated (not recommended).
- Understanding historical Python serialization libraries, but only for educational purposes.
- Migrating away from msgpack-python to msgpack as part of a deprecation cleanup.

## Worth the install?

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

MessagePack serialization and deserialization for Python; this package is deprecated and should not be used—install msgpack instead.

No. Do not install msgpack-python. The package is deprecated, abandoned, and explicitly directs users to install msgpack instead. Use msgpack for any new or existing projects that need MessagePack serialization.

## Install

pip install msgpack-python
uv add msgpack-python
poetry add msgpack-python

## Installing msgpack-python

Before you install: High install friction and abandoned maintenance status. Last release was 2018-03-10, many years ago. The package itself declares deprecation in its description and directs users to install msgpack instead.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache 2.0 (permissive), which poses no legal barrier, but the deprecation status makes the license terms moot for new projects.

Quickstart:

# Do not use this package. Install msgpack instead.
# If you must use the deprecated msgpack-python:
# pip install msgpack-python==0.5.6
import msgpack

Package is deprecated; use msgpack instead. Requires Python 2.7 or 3.5+ based on classifiers, but no longer maintained.

Verify before relying:

- Whether msgpack is a drop-in substitute or requires code changes.
- Current state of downstream projects still depending on msgpack-python and their migration status.

## Package facts

- License: Apache 2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 1.3M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

messagepack serialization, msgpack python, binary serialization format, data serialization, msgpack deserializer, deprecated, do-not-use

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