---
id: numato-gpio
version: "0.14.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: aging
---

# numato-gpio — Python API for Numato GPIO Expanders

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 75.5K/mo

## What it is and what it does

numato-gpio is a Python driver for Numato's USB GPIO expander hardware. It lets you configure individual ports as inputs or outputs, read and write digital logic levels, sample analog values from ADC inputs, and register callbacks to respond to rising or falling edges on input ports. The package wraps serial communication with these devices and exposes a straightforward procedural API—you instantiate a device object pointing to its USB serial port, then call methods to set up pins and perform I/O operations.

The package depends on pyserial for USB communication and rich for terminal output. It supports Python 3.9 through 3.13 and is tested on Linux; Windows support exists but is less thoroughly validated. The maintainer notes that discovery is currently limited to Linux /dev/ttyACM* devices, and there is no async API yet. The codebase has been in use in Home Assistant integrations since 2018, though the author acknowledges room for improvement in documentation and API design.

Use it for:

- Control relay banks or LED arrays via USB from a Python application without dedicated GPIO hardware.
- Read analog sensor inputs through the ADC ports on Numato expanders in a lab or embedded system.
- Implement event-driven logic that responds to button presses or sensor state changes via edge-detection callbacks.
- Integrate GPIO control into Home Assistant or other home automation platforms running on a PC or Raspberry Pi.
- Prototype hardware interfaces quickly without writing low-level serial code or learning a vendor SDK.

## Worth the install?

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

Provides a Python API to control Numato USB GPIO expander devices with 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128 ports, supporting digital I/O, ADC reads, and edge-detection callbacks.

Yes, if you own a Numato USB GPIO expander and need Python control on Linux. The package is stable, permissively licensed, has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. Maintenance is aging but active. Not suitable if you need async I/O, Windows-only deployment, or support for other GPIO hardware.

## Install

pip install numato-gpio
uv add numato-gpio
poetry add numato-gpio

## Installing numato-gpio

Before you install: Low friction installation with only two runtime dependencies (pyserial and rich). Package is aging but still maintained; last commit was recent and no vulnerabilities reported.

License in practice: MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for most projects including commercial work.

Quickstart:

pip install numato-gpio

import numato_gpio as gpio
dev = gpio.NumatoUsbGpio("/dev/ttyACM0")
dev.setup(4, gpio.OUT)
dev.write(4, value=1)

Requires a Numato USB GPIO device connected and accessible via /dev/ttyACM* on Linux (or COM* on Windows); user must have read/write permissions to the device file.

Verify before relying:

- Whether Windows support is fully functional or limited compared to Linux
- Current state of async API availability beyond the known limitation noted in docs
- Compatibility with Numato devices beyond the 8/16/32/64/128-port models listed

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 75.5K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

numato gpio expander control, usb gpio python api, digital io port management, gpio edge detection callbacks, adc input reading, numato device driver, usb gpio module python, hardware-control, usb-serial, gpio

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