PyExecJS
Run JavaScript code from Python
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No. The package is abandoned and explicitly marked end-of-life by its author. While it has no known security vulnerabilities, it receives no maintenance, no bug fixes, and no compatibility updates. Unless you are maintaining legacy code that already depends on it, you should use an actively maintained alternative or invoke a JavaScript runtime directly. The high install friction combined with zero maintenance makes it unsuitable for new projects.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- A JavaScript runtime (Node.js, PhantomJS, Nashorn, or equivalent) must be installed and available on your system; PyExecJS does not provide one.
- High install friction: the package is abandoned (last release January 2018, repository archived as of April 2020).
- No runtime dependencies are bundled; you must have a compatible JavaScript engine already installed on your system.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT License (permissive) — MIT License (permissive). You may use, modify, and distribute this package freely with minimal restrictions, but the lack of active maintenance means security patches and compatibility fixes will not be forthcoming.
last release 2018-01-18 (3130 days) · last repo commit 2020-04-04 · 709 stars · archived
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 311,090 downloads/mo, #7,741 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install PyExecJS
import execjs
ctx = execjs.compile("function add(x, y) { return x + y; }")
result = ctx.call("add", 1, 2)- Whether the package still works reliably with modern Python versions beyond 3.5.
- Compatibility with contemporary JavaScript runtimes and their recent major versions.
- Whether critical bugs discovered since 2018 affect your intended use case.
What it is and what it does
PyExecJS is a Python wrapper that lets you run JavaScript code and call JavaScript functions from Python by automatically detecting and using whatever JavaScript runtime is available on your system. It abstracts away the details of which engine is present—Node.js, PhantomJS, Nashorn, or others—so you can write once and have it work across different environments. You compile JavaScript code into a context object, then call functions on that context and get back Python values.
The package is end-of-life and no longer maintained. The repository is archived, the last release was in January 2018, and the author explicitly states that bugs will not be fixed. It requires you to have a JavaScript runtime already installed separately; PyExecJS itself has no runtime dependencies but acts as a bridge to external engines. Performance is a known limitation because it communicates with the runtime via text serialization.
Use it for
- Integrate JavaScript libraries or algorithms into a Python application without rewriting them in Python.
- Test JavaScript code or functions as part of a Python test suite.
- Evaluate or transform JavaScript expressions dynamically at runtime from within a Python program.
- Build tools that need to run JavaScript in environments where a separate process invocation is inconvenient.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No.
The package is abandoned and explicitly marked end-of-life by its author. While it has no known security vulnerabilities, it receives no maintenance, no bug fixes, and no compatibility updates. Unless you are maintaining legacy code that already depends on it, you should use an actively maintained alternative or invoke a JavaScript runtime directly. The high install friction combined with zero maintenance makes it unsuitable for new projects.
Install
pyexecjs on PyPI
Before you install
High install friction: the package is abandoned (last release January 2018, repository archived as of April 2020). No runtime dependencies are bundled; you must have a compatible JavaScript engine already installed on your system. Maintenance has ceased entirely.
A JavaScript runtime (Node.js, PhantomJS, Nashorn, or equivalent) must be installed and available on your system; PyExecJS does not provide one.
License in practice
MIT License (permissive). You may use, modify, and distribute this package freely with minimal restrictions, but the lack of active maintenance means security patches and compatibility fixes will not be forthcoming.
Quickstart
pip install PyExecJS
import execjs
ctx = execjs.compile("function add(x, y) { return x + y; }")
result = ctx.call("add", 1, 2)Verify before relying
- Whether the package still works reliably with modern Python versions beyond 3.5.
- Compatibility with contemporary JavaScript runtimes and their recent major versions.
- Whether critical bugs discovered since 2018 affect your intended use case.
Package facts
| License | MIT License permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | High. Source build required |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 3,130 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | repository archived |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 311,090 / month, #7,741 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 :: JavaScriptProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5 |
Evidence: PyExecJS-1.5.1.tar.gz
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