---
id: pyexcel-io
version: "0.6.8"
license: New BSD
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# pyexcel-io — A python library to read and write structured data in csv, zipped csvformat and to/from databases

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 2.6M/mo

## What it is and what it does

pyexcel-io is a Python library that abstracts away file format details, letting you read and write structured data through a single consistent API regardless of whether you're working with CSV, TSV, or their zipped variants. It acts as a foundation layer for handling the low-level mechanics of parsing and serializing tabular data. The library is designed to be extended via plugins—additional packages add support for formats like XLS, XLSX, and ODS—so you can install only the format handlers you need.

You use it when you need to load data from or save data to flat files without writing format-specific parsing code, or when you want a pluggable architecture for handling multiple file types in a single application. It integrates with SQLAlchemy and Django for database workflows. The package has been actively maintained since 2014 and supports Python 3.6 and later.

Use it for:

- Load CSV or TSV files into Python data structures for processing without manual parsing.
- Save tabular data to CSV/TSV files for distribution or archival.
- Build a data pipeline that accepts multiple file formats by installing format-specific plugins.
- Integrate with SQLAlchemy or Django for database import and export operations.
- Extend the library with custom file format handlers for specialized data needs.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides a unified API to read and write data in CSV, TSV, and zipped variants (CSVZ, TSVZ) formats, with extensible plugin support for additional formats.

Yes. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive New BSD License, and fills a clear niche: providing a unified API for reading and writing common tabular formats. It's well-suited for applications that need to handle multiple file formats without tight coupling to any single format library. No known vulnerabilities.

## Install

pip install pyexcel-io
uv add pyexcel-io
poetry add pyexcel-io

## Installing pyexcel-io

Before you install: Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (lml). Active maintenance with a recent release 47 days ago and ongoing issue fixes.

License in practice: New BSD License is permissive and poses no restrictions on commercial or private use, modification, or redistribution.

Quickstart:

pip install pyexcel-io

from pyexcel_io import get_data
data = get_data('file.csv')

Requires Python 3.6 or later; fonts, colors, charts, and password-protected files are not supported.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package handles large files efficiently or has memory constraints.
- Performance characteristics when reading/writing files with many rows or columns.
- Exact behavior when multiple format plugins are installed and how library selection works.

## Package facts

- License: New BSD (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 2.6M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

read write csv tsv files, multi-format spreadsheet io, csv database import export, structured data file handling, tabular data serialization, file-io, data-serialization, plugin-architecture

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