plyvel

What it is and what it does

Plyvel wraps LevelDB, a high-performance embedded key-value storage engine, and exposes it through a Python API. It is designed for applications that need fast, persistent storage of key-value pairs without the overhead of a separate database server. The package is built with Cython and requires compilation against LevelDB headers, which adds installation friction on platforms without prebuilt wheels.

The library is classified as Production/Stable and has been in active use since its first release in 2012. It supports a rich feature set including iterators, snapshots, and batch operations. The aging maintenance status reflects that the last release was over a year ago, though the repository remains active and no security vulnerabilities are recorded. It is suitable for applications requiring embedded, high-speed key-value storage, such as caching layers, local indices, or data processing pipelines.

Use it for:

• Building a high-performance local cache or index for a data processing application.
• Storing application state or configuration in a persistent, queryable key-value store.
• Implementing a time-series or log storage backend for monitoring or analytics.
• Prototyping or running a small-scale database without deploying a separate database service.

Worth the install?

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

Plyvel is a Python interface to LevelDB, a fast key-value storage library. It provides read and write access to LevelDB databases with a Pythonic API.

Yes, if you need embedded key-value storage with high performance and are comfortable with C++ compilation requirements. The package is stable and production-ready, with no known vulnerabilities. The aging maintenance status is not a blocker—the repository is still active. Install friction is moderate but manageable with prebuilt wheels on common platforms.

Install

plyvel on PyPI

pip install plyvel

uv add plyvel

poetry add plyvel

Installing plyvel

Before you install

Medium install friction due to C++ compilation requirements (Cython-based bindings). The package is aging but stable; last release was 2024-01-15 and the repository remains active with recent commits as of 2025-09-03. Prebuilt wheels are available for multiple Python versions on Linux x86_64.

License in practice

BSD License (permissive) places no significant restrictions on use, modification, or distribution in proprietary or open-source projects.

Quickstart

pip install plyvel

import plyvel
db = plyvel.DB(b'/tmp/testdb', create_if_missing=True)
db.put(b'key', b'value')
print(db.get(b'key'))

Requires LevelDB development headers and a C++ compiler; prebuilt wheels available for Linux x86_64, but other platforms may require compilation.

Verify before relying

• Whether the package supports the latest Python versions or has known incompatibilities.
• Performance characteristics and typical throughput compared to other embedded key-value stores.
• Whether the aging maintenance status indicates planned deprecation or stable long-term support.

Package facts

Evidence: plyvel-1.5.1-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; plyvel-1.5.1-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; plyvel-1.5.1-cp312-cp312-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; plyvel-1.5.1-cp37-cp37m-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; plyvel-1.5.1-cp38-cp38-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; plyvel-1.5.1-cp39-cp39-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl

Tags

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