py
library with cross-python path, ini-parsing, io, code, log facilities
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No, not for new code. The package is abandoned (last release 1744 days ago) and explicitly recommends against its use in new projects. Its components have been superseded by better-maintained alternatives: use pathlib instead of py.path, standalone py.apipkg and py.iniconfig packages for their respective functions, and pytest for code introspection. Install only if you are maintaining legacy code that already depends on it and cannot be refactored immediately.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Package is abandoned and its components have been superseded; py.path should be replaced with pathlib, py.apipkg and py.iniconfig with their standalone packages, and py.code functionality is now internal to pytest.
- Low install friction, but maintenance status is abandoned—last release was 1744 days ago.
- The package is explicitly in maintenance mode and not recommended for new code.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT license (permissive) — MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; permissive treatment means you can use it freely in most contexts.
last release 2021-11-04 (1744 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 68,940,837 downloads/mo, #477 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install py==1.11.0
import py
path = py.path.local('.')- Whether any of the submodules (py.path, py.apipkg, py.iniconfig, py.code) remain functional with current Python versions despite abandonment.
- Whether downstream projects still depend on this package and what their migration timeline looks like.
What it is and what it does
The py library is a collection of Python development utilities that was historically bundled together but has since been split into separate, maintained packages. It originally included path manipulation (py.path for local and SVN paths), lazy-loading API control (py.apipkg), INI file parsing (py.iniconfig), and code generation/introspection (py.code). The library is now in maintenance mode and explicitly not recommended for new code—its functionality has been distributed to better-maintained alternatives: pathlib for filesystem paths, standalone py.apipkg and py.iniconfig packages, and pytest for code introspection features.
The package remains in the top 1000 PyPI downloads, likely because existing projects still depend on it, but it receives no active development. Installing it today means relying on code that will not be updated for bugs or compatibility issues. The permissive MIT license does not change this calculus—permission to use is not the same as ongoing support.
Use it for
- Maintaining legacy projects that already depend on py and cannot be refactored to use pathlib or pytest immediately.
- Understanding how older Python codebases structured cross-platform path handling before pathlib became standard.
- Temporary compatibility layer while migrating from py.path to pathlib in an existing codebase.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No, not for new code.
The package is abandoned (last release 1744 days ago) and explicitly recommends against its use in new projects. Its components have been superseded by better-maintained alternatives: use pathlib instead of py.path, standalone py.apipkg and py.iniconfig packages for their respective functions, and pytest for code introspection. Install only if you are maintaining legacy code that already depends on it and cannot be refactored immediately.
Install
py on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction, but maintenance status is abandoned—last release was 1744 days ago. The package is explicitly in maintenance mode and not recommended for new code.
Package is abandoned and its components have been superseded; py.path should be replaced with pathlib, py.apipkg and py.iniconfig with their standalone packages, and py.code functionality is now internal to pytest.
License in practice
MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; permissive treatment means you can use it freely in most contexts.
Quickstart
pip install py==1.11.0
import py
path = py.path.local('.')Verify before relying
- Whether any of the submodules (py.path, py.apipkg, py.iniconfig, py.code) remain functional with current Python versions despite abandonment.
- Whether downstream projects still depend on this package and what their migration timeline looks like.
Package facts
| License | MIT license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=2.7, !=3.0.*, !=3.1.*, !=3.2.*, !=3.3.*, !=3.4.* |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 1,744 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 68,940,837 / month, #477 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 6 - MatureIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: MacOS :: MacOS XOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIXProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Software Development :: LibrariesTopic :: Software Development :: TestingTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: py-1.11.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “code introspection tools”
- pyProvides cross-platform path objects, INI file parsing, code…
- sigtoolsSigtools provides utilities to inspect and manipulate Python function…
- executingIdentifies the AST node currently being executed in a Python frame,…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Libraries packages
urllib3 is an HTTP client library that provides thread-safe connection pooling, SSL/TLS verification, multipart file uploads, request retries, compression support, and proxy handling for Python applications.
Requests is a Python HTTP library that simplifies sending HTTP/1.1 requests with automatic handling of headers, authentication, cookies, and response parsing.
Pluggy provides a plugin system that lets you define hook specifications and register implementations to be called in sequence, enabling extensible Python applications without tight coupling.
Install it if you're building an extensible application or framework.
Provides parsing, arithmetic, and recurrence rule computation for dates and times, with timezone support and iCalendar RFC compliance.
Install it if you need to parse flexible date strings, compute relative dates, handle timezones, or work with recurrence rules—it's the de facto choice for these tasks.
Six provides utility functions to write Python code that runs on both Python 2.7 and Python 3.3+, smoothing over language differences between the two versions.
pytest is a testing framework that lets you write test functions using plain assert statements and automatically discovers and runs them, with detailed failure reporting.
See also pathlib · whichcraft · pathlib2 · path.py · pathtools · path · pytest-pythonpath · none · pathlib-abc · dlinfo