ossfs
fsspec filesystem for OSS
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you work with Alibaba Cloud OSS and want a standard fsspec interface. The package is stable (Beta status), supports current Python versions (3.8–3.13), has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. The 464-day release gap suggests slower maintenance, so verify that aiooss2 support meets your needs before committing to the async variant.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires OSS credentials (access key ID and secret) and a valid OSS endpoint URL; async variant (AioOSSFileSystem) depends on the third-party aiooss2 backend which is not officially supported.
- Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel.
- Maintenance is aging—last release was 464 days ago—but the repository remains active with a recent commit on 2025-05-07 and no archived status.
License · maintenance · safety
Apache-2.0 (permissive) — Distributed under Apache-2.0, a permissive open-source license that allows commercial use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions.
last release 2025-05-07 (464 days) · last repo commit 2025-05-07 · 28 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 117,164 downloads/mo, #12,175 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install ossfs
import ossfs
fs = ossfs.OSSFileSystem(endpoint='http://oss-cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com')
with fs.open('/bucket/file') as f:
data = f.read()- Whether aiooss2 dependency is installed by default or requires explicit opt-in for async functionality.
- Current status of aiooss2 official support and feature parity with oss2.
- Whether the 464-day gap since last release indicates active maintenance or dormancy.
What it is and what it does
OSSFS is a Python adapter that exposes Alibaba Cloud's Object Storage Service (OSS) through the fsspec filesystem abstraction layer. It lets you read, write, and list objects in OSS buckets using the same standard API you would use for local files or other cloud storage backends, making it easy to swap storage backends in data pipelines and applications.
The package offers two modes: a synchronous variant using the official oss2 library, and an asynchronous variant using aiooss2 for concurrent bulk operations. According to the documentation, the async version can be significantly faster for workloads involving many small files—the example shows a 10x speedup for uploading 1200 small files. Both modes integrate seamlessly with fsspec, so you can use them with tools and libraries that already support fsspec.
Use it for
- Access OSS objects in data pipelines and machine learning workflows using standard fsspec APIs.
- Migrate data between local storage and OSS without changing application code.
- Perform concurrent bulk uploads or downloads of many small files using the async variant.
- Integrate OSS storage with DVC or other fsspec-aware tools for reproducible data workflows.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you work with Alibaba Cloud OSS and want a standard fsspec interface.
The package is stable (Beta status), supports current Python versions (3.8–3.13), has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. The 464-day release gap suggests slower maintenance, so verify that aiooss2 support meets your needs before committing to the async variant.
Install
ossfs on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. Maintenance is aging—last release was 464 days ago—but the repository remains active with a recent commit on 2025-05-07 and no archived status.
Requires OSS credentials (access key ID and secret) and a valid OSS endpoint URL; async variant (AioOSSFileSystem) depends on the third-party aiooss2 backend which is not officially supported.
License in practice
Distributed under Apache-2.0, a permissive open-source license that allows commercial use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install ossfs
import ossfs
fs = ossfs.OSSFileSystem(endpoint='http://oss-cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com')
with fs.open('/bucket/file') as f:
data = f.read()Verify before relying
- Whether aiooss2 dependency is installed by default or requires explicit opt-in for async functionality.
- Current status of aiooss2 official support and feature parity with oss2.
- Whether the 464-day gap since last release indicates active maintenance or dormancy.
Package facts
| License | Apache-2.0 permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.8 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 3 packagesaiooss2fsspecoss2 |
| Maintenance | Aging 464 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 117,164 / month, #12,175 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9 |
Evidence: ossfs-2025.5.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also aiooss2 · oss2 · alibabacloud-gateway-oss · gdrive-fsspec · alibabacloud-oss-util · sshfs · alibabacloud-oss20190517 · alibabacloud-oss-v2 · alibabacloud-gateway-oss-util · ocifs