pathlib2

What it is and what it does

pathlib2 is a backport of Python's standard pathlib module, designed to bring modern path-handling APIs to older Python versions that predate pathlib's inclusion in the standard library. It provides an object-oriented interface for working with filesystem paths across platforms, replacing string-based path manipulation with a cleaner, more intuitive API. The package depends on six, scandir, and typing to maintain compatibility across Python 2.7 and early Python 3 releases.

The backport tracks the standard library's pathlib implementation, so features added to the standard module are eventually available through pathlib2 on older Python versions. However, it carries a known limitation: on Windows with Python 2.7, non-ASCII filename characters may be silently corrupted due to the platform's filesystem encoder having poor Unicode support. Development now occurs primarily in the Python standard library itself, making this package a maintenance-light compatibility shim rather than an actively developed project.

Use it for:

• Migrate legacy Python 2.7 codebases to use modern pathlib syntax before upgrading to Python 3.
• Maintain a single codebase across Python 2.7 and early Python 3.x versions using consistent path APIs.
• Use pathlib's object-oriented path interface in projects that must support Python 3.5 or 3.6.
• Backport pathlib features to environments where the standard library version is unavailable or outdated.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Backport of Python's standard pathlib module for older Python versions, providing object-oriented filesystem path manipulation.

No, unless you are maintaining legacy Python 2.7 or very early Python 3 code. Modern Python versions include pathlib in the standard library; use that instead. The package is stable and permissively licensed, but dormant maintenance and the availability of built-in pathlib make it unnecessary for new projects.

Install

pathlib2 on PyPI

pip install pathlib2

uv add pathlib2

poetry add pathlib2

Installing pathlib2

Before you install

Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. Dormant maintenance status—last release was 2022-02-10 and last commit 2023-09-29—but the package is stable and tracks the standard library, so updates are infrequent by design.

License in practice

MIT license (permissive) allows use in commercial and open-source projects with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart

pip install pathlib2

from pathlib2 import Path
p = Path('/home/user/file.txt')
print(p.exists())

Intended for Python 2.7 and early Python 3.x; modern Python versions include pathlib in the standard library and should use that instead.

Verify before relying

• Whether the package is still actively maintained or if it is effectively superseded by the standard library pathlib.
• Current compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.9 and whether the package is tested against modern releases.
• Whether the Windows Python 2.7 unicode filename issue (issue #56) remains unfixed and affects current users.

Package facts

Evidence: pathlib2-2.3.7.post1-py2.py3-none-any.whl

Tags

More Libraries packages