---
id: openslide-bin
version: "4.0.1.2"
license: LGPL-2.1-only AND BSD-1-Clause AND BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause AND (BSD-3-Clause OR GPL-2.0-only) AND BSD-4.3TAHOE AND IJG AND LGPL-2.0-or-later AND (LGPL-2.1-only OR MPL-1.1) AND LGPL-2.1-or-later AND libpng-2.0 AND libtiff AND MIT AND Zlib
license_treatment: copyleft
maintenance: active
---

# openslide-bin — Binary build of OpenSlide

License: copyleft · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 105.4K/mo

## What it is and what it does

openslide-bin packages the OpenSlide library—a C library for reading whole-slide microscopy images—as a pip-installable Python wheel. Instead of requiring users to install OpenSlide separately via their system package manager (which may be outdated or unavailable), this package bundles the latest OpenSlide binaries directly into the wheel, eliminating a common installation friction point.

When installed alongside OpenSlide Python ≥ 1.4.0, openslide-bin is automatically discovered and used. It ships the same binaries as the official OpenSlide website, has no additional runtime dependencies beyond what your system already provides, and supports Python 3.9+ on Linux (aarch64, x86_64 with glibc 2.28+), macOS 11+ (arm64, x86_64), and Windows 10+ (x64). The package is actively maintained by the OpenSlide project itself.

Use it for:

- Deploy whole-slide image analysis pipelines in Docker or cloud environments without requiring system-level OpenSlide installation.
- Simplify CI/CD workflows for histopathology or medical imaging research by pinning OpenSlide version via pip.
- Develop cross-platform microscopy image processing tools that work on Linux, macOS, and Windows without platform-specific build steps.
- Use in research environments where system package manager access is restricted or versions are outdated.
- Bundle OpenSlide with Python applications distributed via PyPI without requiring end-users to install native libraries.

## Worth the install?

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

Provides prebuilt OpenSlide binaries for Linux, macOS, and Windows, eliminating the need to install OpenSlide separately from your system package manager.

Yes, if you need OpenSlide and want to avoid system-level installation complexity. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and is built by the OpenSlide maintainers themselves. Install friction is medium due to platform-specific wheels, but that's inherent to any binary distribution. Copyleft licensing (LGPL-2.1) requires compliance if you redistribute or modify; for internal use or linking via OpenSlide Python, this is typically not a barrier. Recommended for anyone using OpenSlide Python who prefers pip-based dependency management.

## Install

pip install openslide-bin
uv add openslide-bin
poetry add openslide-bin

## Installing openslide-bin

Before you install: Medium install friction due to platform-specific wheels (aarch64, x86_64, macOS universal2, Windows x64). Requires Python 3.9+ and pip 20.3+. Actively maintained with recent releases; last commit 2026-08-10.

License in practice: Copyleft: LGPL-2.1-only core with BSD, MIT, Zlib, and other compatible licenses for bundled components. Derivative works and modifications must comply with LGPL-2.1 terms; redistribution requires license preservation.

Quickstart:

pip install openslide-bin

import openslide
slide = openslide.OpenSlide('path/to/slide.svs')

Requires Python 3.9+, pip 20.3+, and a supported platform (Linux glibc 2.28+, macOS 11+, or Windows 10+). OpenSlide Python ≥ 1.4.0 required to auto-detect openslide-bin.

Verify before relying:

- Whether OpenSlide Python automatically discovers openslide-bin in all deployment contexts (containers, virtual envs, editable installs).
- Performance characteristics compared to system-installed OpenSlide binaries.
- Compatibility with non-standard Python distributions (PyPy, Conda environments).

## Package facts

- License: LGPL-2.1-only AND BSD-1-Clause AND BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause AND (BSD-3-Clause OR GPL-2.0-only) AND BSD-4.3TAHOE AND IJG AND LGPL-2.0-or-later AND (LGPL-2.1-only OR MPL-1.1) AND LGPL-2.1-or-later AND libpng-2.0 AND libtiff AND MIT AND Zlib (copyleft)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: medium
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 105.4K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

openslide binary distribution, whole-slide image processing, prebuilt openslide binaries, pip-installable openslide, medical image analysis library, virtual slide viewer, histopathology image handling, medical-imaging, histopathology, binary-distribution

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