packaging-legacy
Core utilities for legacy Python packages
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, but only if you have a specific need: code that imports `LegacyVersion` or relies on legacy version parsing. The package is stable and permissively licensed, but dormant—no active maintenance since mid-2024. Do not install it as a general dependency; install it only to unblock a concrete compatibility issue with legacy version formats.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low install friction with a single dependency on packaging.
- Maintenance is dormant—last release was 2023-11-28 and no commits since 2024-08-19—so expect no active support or updates.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Licensed under permissive terms (Apache and BSD), so no restrictions on commercial or proprietary use.
last release 2023-11-28 (990 days) · last repo commit 2024-08-19 · 4 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 269,571 downloads/mo, #8,257 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install packaging-legacy
from packaging_legacy.version import parse, LegacyVersion
v = parse('1.0-final')
print(isinstance(v, LegacyVersion))- Whether legacy version formats this package handles are still encountered in modern Python ecosystems or are purely historical.
- Compatibility guarantees with future versions of the packaging library that this package depends on.
- Whether the non-standard version formats supported by LegacyVersion follow any documented specification.
What it is and what it does
packaging-legacy is a compatibility shim that restores APIs removed from the main packaging library. It provides `LegacyVersion` and a `parse` function for handling version strings in older formats that the current packaging library no longer supports. The package depends only on packaging itself and is marked production-stable across Python 3.7–3.11.
You would use this only if your codebase or dependencies still reference `LegacyVersion` or need to parse legacy version strings. It is not a replacement for packaging—it is a narrow bridge for code that was written against older packaging APIs and cannot be easily updated.
Use it for
- Parsing version strings from legacy Python packages that predate modern standardization.
- Maintaining code that imports `LegacyVersion` directly without refactoring to current version handling.
- Supporting old package metadata or version formats in a tool or library that cannot migrate immediately.
- Bridging a dependency tree where some transitive packages still expect the old packaging API.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, but only if you have a specific need: code that imports `LegacyVersion` or relies on legacy version parsing.
The package is stable and permissively licensed, but dormant—no active maintenance since mid-2024. Do not install it as a general dependency; install it only to unblock a concrete compatibility issue with legacy version formats.
Install
packaging-legacy on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a single dependency on packaging. Maintenance is dormant—last release was 2023-11-28 and no commits since 2024-08-19—so expect no active support or updates.
License in practice
Licensed under permissive terms (Apache and BSD), so no restrictions on commercial or proprietary use.
Quickstart
pip install packaging-legacy
from packaging_legacy.version import parse, LegacyVersion
v = parse('1.0-final')
print(isinstance(v, LegacyVersion))Verify before relying
- Whether legacy version formats this package handles are still encountered in modern Python ecosystems or are purely historical.
- Compatibility guarantees with future versions of the packaging library that this package depends on.
- Whether the non-standard version formats supported by LegacyVersion follow any documented specification.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagepackaging |
| Maintenance | Dormant 990 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 269,571 / month, #8,257 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software LicenseLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPy |
Evidence: packaging_legacy-23.0.post0-py3-none-any.whl
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