OpenMM
Python wrapper for OpenMM (a C++ MD package)
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need molecular dynamics simulation capability. The active maintenance, permissive license, and broad platform support make it a solid choice. Medium install friction is expected for compiled scientific software and is well-mitigated by pre-built wheels. No known vulnerabilities. Verify Python version compatibility and GPU driver requirements before installation.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires a compatible CPU or GPU platform; some features may require CUDA or OpenCL drivers for GPU acceleration.
- Medium install friction due to compiled C++ dependencies and platform-specific wheels.
- Active maintenance with a recent release 67 days ago.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Licensed under Python Software Foundation License (BSD-like), a permissive license allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.
last release 2026-06-08 (67 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 182,625 downloads/mo, #10,091 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install openmm
import openmm
system = openmm.System()
integrator = openmm.VerletIntegrator()- Whether GPU acceleration (CUDA/OpenCL) is required or optional for typical workflows.
- Specific Python version requirements (requires_python field is unspecified in metadata).
- Whether the package includes force field files or requires separate installation.
- Minimum Python version supported despite unspecified requires_python metadata.
What it is and what it does
OpenMM is a molecular dynamics simulation toolkit that wraps a high-performance C++ engine, designed for researchers and developers who need to run biomolecular simulations. It can be used as a standalone application or imported as a library into custom Python code. The package emphasizes flexibility through custom forces and integrators, openness in its design, and high performance especially on modern GPUs.
The toolkit depends only on numpy and is distributed as pre-compiled wheels for multiple Python versions and platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows). Its medium install friction reflects the compiled nature of the underlying C++ engine, but pre-built wheels mitigate most installation complexity. Active maintenance and a recent release cycle suggest ongoing development and bug fixes.
Use it for
- Run molecular dynamics simulations of proteins or other biomolecules with GPU acceleration for research or drug discovery workflows.
- Build custom simulation pipelines by importing OpenMM as a library and defining custom forces or integrators.
- Prototype and test new force fields or simulation algorithms without modifying the core C++ engine.
- Perform high-throughput molecular simulations by leveraging GPU parallelization for ensemble studies.
- Integrate molecular dynamics into larger computational chemistry or bioinformatics pipelines.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need molecular dynamics simulation capability.
The active maintenance, permissive license, and broad platform support make it a solid choice. Medium install friction is expected for compiled scientific software and is well-mitigated by pre-built wheels. No known vulnerabilities. Verify Python version compatibility and GPU driver requirements before installation.
Install
openmm on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to compiled C++ dependencies and platform-specific wheels. Active maintenance with a recent release 67 days ago. Requires numpy as its only runtime dependency.
Requires a compatible CPU or GPU platform; some features may require CUDA or OpenCL drivers for GPU acceleration.
License in practice
Licensed under Python Software Foundation License (BSD-like), a permissive license allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install openmm
import openmm
system = openmm.System()
integrator = openmm.VerletIntegrator()Verify before relying
- Whether GPU acceleration (CUDA/OpenCL) is required or optional for typical workflows.
- Specific Python version requirements (requires_python field is unspecified in metadata).
- Whether the package includes force field files or requires separate installation.
- Minimum Python version supported despite unspecified requires_python metadata.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagenumpy |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 67 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 182,625 / month, #10,091 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
Evidence: openmm-8.5.2-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_12_x86_64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp310-cp310-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_34_aarch64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_34_x86_64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_12_x86_64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp311-cp311-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_34_aarch64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_34_x86_64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp311-cp311-win_amd64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp312-cp312-macosx_10_12_x86_64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp312-cp312-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp312-cp312-manylinux_2_34_aarch64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp312-cp312-manylinux_2_34_x86_64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp313-cp313-macosx_10_12_x86_64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp313-cp313-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp313-cp313-manylinux_2_34_aarch64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp313-cp313-manylinux_2_34_x86_64.whl; openmm-8.5.2-cp313-cp313-win_amd64.whl
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