pyEDFlib
library to read/write EDF+/BDF+ files
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. pyEDFlib is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and is the standard choice for EDF/BDF file I/O in Python. Medium install friction is offset by prebuilt wheels for common platforms and a single, lightweight numpy dependency. Install it if you work with biomedical signal files in these formats.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires a C compiler and Cython to build from source; binary wheels available for common platforms reduce this friction.
- Medium install friction due to compiled C extensions, but prebuilt wheels cover Python 3.10, 3.11, and 3.12 on major platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows).
- Repository is actively maintained with recent commits and no known vulnerabilities.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD (permissive) — BSD permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; attribution required but no copyleft obligations.
last release 2025-06-26 (414 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-08 · 246 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 138,945 downloads/mo, #11,314 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install pyEDFlib
from pyedflib import highlevel
import numpy as np
signals = np.random.rand(2, 256)
headers = highlevel.make_signal_headers(['ch1', 'ch2'], sample_frequency=256)
header = highlevel.make_header(patientname='patient1')
highlevel.write_edf('output.edf', signals, headers, header)
signals_read, sig_headers, file_header = highlevel.read_edf('output.edf')- Whether the package handles large files efficiently or has known memory constraints.
- Real-world performance on concurrent read/write operations or thread safety guarantees.
- Compatibility with EDF+ extensions beyond the standard (e.g., annotations, event markers).
What it is and what it does
pyEDFlib is a Python wrapper around EDFlib that reads and writes European Data Format (EDF, EDF+) and BioSemi Data Format (BDF, BDF+) files—standard formats for storing biomedical signals like EEG, ECG, and EMG recordings. The library wraps a C implementation for performance and provides both low-level access and a high-level interface for common tasks. It depends only on numpy and runs on Python 3.8 and later across Windows, macOS, and Linux.
The high-level interface makes it straightforward to load signal arrays with metadata, write new files with channel definitions, and perform file operations like dropping channels, renaming them, anonymizing patient data, and comparing file contents. It is commonly used in neuroscience, sleep medicine, and clinical research workflows where EDF/BDF files are the de facto standard for storing and sharing polysomnography, EEG, and other multi-channel physiological recordings.
Use it for
- Load EEG recordings from clinical polysomnography devices and extract specific channels for analysis.
- Write processed biomedical signals back to EDF+ format for archival or sharing with research teams.
- Anonymize patient identifiers in EDF files before sharing data for research or regulatory compliance.
- Rename and reorganize channels within existing EDF files without re-encoding the signal data.
- Batch convert or validate EDF/BDF files by comparing file contents programmatically.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
pyEDFlib is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and is the standard choice for EDF/BDF file I/O in Python. Medium install friction is offset by prebuilt wheels for common platforms and a single, lightweight numpy dependency. Install it if you work with biomedical signal files in these formats.
Install
pyedflib on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to compiled C extensions, but prebuilt wheels cover Python 3.10, 3.11, and 3.12 on major platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows). Repository is actively maintained with recent commits and no known vulnerabilities.
Requires a C compiler and Cython to build from source; binary wheels available for common platforms reduce this friction.
License in practice
BSD permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; attribution required but no copyleft obligations.
Quickstart
pip install pyEDFlib
from pyedflib import highlevel
import numpy as np
signals = np.random.rand(2, 256)
headers = highlevel.make_signal_headers(['ch1', 'ch2'], sample_frequency=256)
header = highlevel.make_header(patientname='patient1')
highlevel.write_edf('output.edf', signals, headers, header)
signals_read, sig_headers, file_header = highlevel.read_edf('output.edf')Verify before relying
- Whether the package handles large files efficiently or has known memory constraints.
- Real-world performance on concurrent read/write operations or thread safety guarantees.
- Compatibility with EDF+ extensions beyond the standard (e.g., annotations, event markers).
Package facts
| License | BSD permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagenumpy |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 414 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 138,945 / month, #11,314 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 :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: EducationIntended Audience :: Science/ResearchLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: CProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: pyedflib-0.1.42-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp310-cp310-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp310-cp310-manylinux2014_aarch64.manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_5_i686.manylinux1_i686.manylinux_2_17_i686.manylinux2014_i686.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_i686.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp310-cp310-win32.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp311-cp311-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp311-cp311-manylinux2014_aarch64.manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_5_i686.manylinux1_i686.manylinux_2_17_i686.manylinux2014_i686.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp311-cp311-musllinux_1_2_i686.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp311-cp311-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp311-cp311-win32.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp311-cp311-win_amd64.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp312-cp312-macosx_10_13_x86_64.whl; pyedflib-0.1.42-cp312-cp312-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl
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