plaster
A loader interface around multiple config file formats.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you are maintaining or extending an existing Pylons/Pyramid application that already uses plaster—it is stable and has no known vulnerabilities. No, if starting a new project: the package is abandoned (last release 2022-11-21), and modern Python config alternatives (tomllib, pydantic, dynaconf) are actively maintained. Install only when required by existing code or when the pluggable loader abstraction is a genuine architectural need.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.7 or later; does not support Python 2.7 or earlier 3.x versions.
- Low install friction with a single lightweight runtime dependency (importlib-metadata).
- However, the package is abandoned—last release was 2022-11-21, over 1362 days ago—so no active maintenance or bug fixes should be expected.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Licensed under MIT (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial and private projects without restriction.
last release 2022-11-21 (1362 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 2,393,112 downloads/mo, #3,087 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install plaster
import plaster
loader = plaster.get_loader('config.ini', 'egg:myapp')
settings = loader.get_settings()- Whether the pluggable loader ecosystem for plaster is still actively maintained or has viable alternatives.
- Whether abandonment affects real-world usage in existing Pylons/Pyramid applications that depend on it.
What it is and what it does
Plaster is a configuration loader abstraction layer designed for applications that need to read settings from multiple config file formats (INI, YAML, TOML, etc.) through a single, consistent API. Rather than implementing format-specific parsing itself, plaster defines a standard interface and delegates actual parsing to pluggable loaders that register themselves via entry points. This separation allows applications to support multiple config formats without coupling to any single parser library.
The package is part of the Pylons ecosystem and is commonly used in Pyramid web applications. It handles URI parsing to identify which loader to use, manages loader discovery, and provides error handling for missing or ambiguous loaders. The core library is minimal and stable, focusing only on the loader interface contract; any format-specific behavior lives in separate loader implementations.
Use it for
- Load INI, YAML, or other config formats in a Pyramid or Pylons web application without hardcoding format assumptions.
- Build an application that supports multiple config file formats by registering custom loaders as entry points.
- Parse a config URI like 'ini://config.ini' or 'egg:myapp#config' to determine which loader to invoke.
- Migrate from one config format to another without changing application code that calls plaster.
- Discover available loaders at runtime to handle ambiguous or missing loader scenarios.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you are maintaining or extending an existing Pylons/Pyramid application that already uses plaster—it is stable and has no known vulnerabilities.
No, if starting a new project: the package is abandoned (last release 2022-11-21), and modern Python config alternatives (tomllib, pydantic, dynaconf) are actively maintained. Install only when required by existing code or when the pluggable loader abstraction is a genuine architectural need.
Install
plaster on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a single lightweight runtime dependency (importlib-metadata). However, the package is abandoned—last release was 2022-11-21, over 1362 days ago—so no active maintenance or bug fixes should be expected.
Requires Python 3.7 or later; does not support Python 2.7 or earlier 3.x versions.
License in practice
Licensed under MIT (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial and private projects without restriction.
Quickstart
pip install plaster
import plaster
loader = plaster.get_loader('config.ini', 'egg:myapp')
settings = loader.get_settings()Verify before relying
- Whether the pluggable loader ecosystem for plaster is still actively maintained or has viable alternatives.
- Whether abandonment affects real-world usage in existing Pylons/Pyramid applications that depend on it.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.7 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packageimportlib-metadata |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 1,362 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 2,393,112 / month, #3,087 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 :: MIT LicenseNatural Language :: EnglishProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming 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: plaster-1.1.2-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also plaster-pastedeploy · PasteDeploy · bestconfig · PasteScript · iniconfig · typed-settings · oslo.config · environ-config · anyconfig · pyconfigurator