persistent
Translucent persistent objects
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you are using ZODB or a compatible persistence framework. The package is mature, actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and provides broad Python version and platform support. Install friction is moderate due to C extensions, but pre-built wheels are available for common platforms. Not recommended as a standalone persistence solution outside the ZODB ecosystem.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later; C extensions require a C compiler or pre-built wheels for your platform.
- Medium install friction due to C extensions and cffi dependency, but well-maintained with recent releases and broad platform support (macOS, Linux, Windows, ARM64).
- Active upstream development with no known security issues.
License · maintenance · safety
ZPL-2.1 (unclear) — Licensed under ZPL-2.1 (Zope Public License 2.1), a permissive open-source license with no notable restrictions for most use cases.
last release 2026-05-26 (80 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-14 · 47 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 350,204 downloads/mo, #7,332 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install persistent
from persistent import Persistent
class MyObject(Persistent):
def __init__(self):
self.data = []
obj = MyObject()
obj.data.append('value')
# Object state is now tracked for persistence- Specific performance characteristics or memory overhead compared to standard Python objects.
- Compatibility with non-ZODB persistence backends or whether it is ZODB-specific.
- Whether the package works with free-threaded Python 3.14+ in production or only with experimental support.
What it is and what it does
Persistent is a core protocol library that makes Python objects interact transparently with databases, primarily ZODB. It implements automatic state tracking and serialization so that objects can be modified in memory and have those changes persisted to disk without explicit save calls. The package provides base classes like Persistent, PersistentList, and PersistentMapping that handle the bookkeeping of object changes, allowing developers to work with objects as if they were in-memory while the database layer handles durability.
The library uses C extensions for performance-critical operations and falls back to pure Python implementations when needed. It has three runtime dependencies: zope.deferredimport for lazy imports, zope.interface for interface definitions, and cffi for C bindings. Recent versions add support for free-threaded Python 3.14 and 3.15, though the package is primarily designed for ZODB integration and is not recommended with ZODB versions earlier than 3.11.
Use it for
- Building applications with ZODB that need automatic object persistence without manual serialization.
- Creating long-lived in-memory object caches that can be transparently synced to a persistent store.
- Implementing complex data structures (lists, mappings) that track their own modifications for database updates.
- Developing multi-threaded applications requiring thread-safe object state management and change tracking.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you are using ZODB or a compatible persistence framework.
The package is mature, actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and provides broad Python version and platform support. Install friction is moderate due to C extensions, but pre-built wheels are available for common platforms. Not recommended as a standalone persistence solution outside the ZODB ecosystem.
Install
persistent on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to C extensions and cffi dependency, but well-maintained with recent releases and broad platform support (macOS, Linux, Windows, ARM64). Active upstream development with no known security issues.
Requires Python 3.10 or later; C extensions require a C compiler or pre-built wheels for your platform.
License in practice
Licensed under ZPL-2.1 (Zope Public License 2.1), a permissive open-source license with no notable restrictions for most use cases.
Quickstart
pip install persistent
from persistent import Persistent
class MyObject(Persistent):
def __init__(self):
self.data = []
obj = MyObject()
obj.data.append('value')
# Object state is now tracked for persistenceVerify before relying
- Specific performance characteristics or memory overhead compared to standard Python objects.
- Compatibility with non-ZODB persistence backends or whether it is ZODB-specific.
- Whether the package works with free-threaded Python 3.14+ in production or only with experimental support.
Package facts
| License | ZPL-2.1 unclear |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 3 packageszope.deferredimportzope.interfacecffi |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 80 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 350,204 / month, #7,332 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 6 - MatureFramework :: ZODBIntended Audience :: DevelopersOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: DatabaseTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: persistent-6.7-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp310-cp310-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp310-cp310-manylinux1_i686.manylinux2014_i686.manylinux_2_17_i686.manylinux_2_5_i686.whl; persistent-6.7-cp310-cp310-manylinux1_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux_2_5_x86_64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp310-cp310-manylinux2014_aarch64.manylinux_2_17_aarch64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp311-cp311-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp311-cp311-manylinux1_i686.manylinux2014_i686.manylinux_2_17_i686.manylinux_2_5_i686.whl; persistent-6.7-cp311-cp311-manylinux1_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux_2_5_x86_64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp311-cp311-manylinux2014_aarch64.manylinux_2_17_aarch64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp311-cp311-win_amd64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp311-cp311-win_arm64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp312-cp312-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp312-cp312-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp312-cp312-manylinux1_i686.manylinux2014_i686.manylinux_2_17_i686.manylinux_2_5_i686.whl; persistent-6.7-cp312-cp312-manylinux1_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux_2_5_x86_64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp312-cp312-manylinux2014_aarch64.manylinux_2_17_aarch64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl; persistent-6.7-cp312-cp312-win_arm64.whl
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