PyPDF4
PDF toolkit
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No. PyPDF4 is abandoned (no updates since 2018-08-07, 2929 days ago) and high install friction makes it a risky choice for new projects. Use only if maintaining legacy code that already depends on it and cannot migrate.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Pure-Python implementation may be slow on large PDFs; no active maintenance means compatibility issues with newer Python versions are unlikely to be fixed.
- High install friction: the package has been abandoned for 2929 days with no updates since its initial release on 2018-08-07.
- No active maintenance or bug fixes are being applied.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Licensed under BSD (permissive), allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, though the abandoned status means no ongoing legal or security review.
last release 2018-08-07 (2929 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 92,220 downloads/mo, #13,467 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install PyPDF4==1.27.0
from PyPDF4 import PdfFileReader, PdfFileWriter
with open('input.pdf', 'rb') as f:
reader = PdfFileReader(f)
writer = PdfFileWriter()
writer.addPage(reader.getPage(0))
with open('output.pdf', 'wb') as out:
writer.write(out)- Whether the package works reliably with modern Python versions given its abandoned status and lack of recent testing.
- Current real-world performance on large or complex PDF files.
- Whether in-memory StringIO-based PDF manipulation is production-ready or has known limitations.
What it is and what it does
PyPDF4 is a pure-Python PDF manipulation library that lets you read, extract metadata from, split, merge, crop, and encrypt/decrypt PDF files without requiring external system libraries or compiled dependencies. It can work directly with file streams or in-memory StringIO objects, making it suitable for server-side PDF handling in web applications.
The package has been abandoned since its release on 2018-08-07 with no updates in 2929 days. While it carries a permissive BSD license and claims production-stable status, the lack of active maintenance means bugs are unlikely to be fixed, compatibility with newer Python versions is not guaranteed, and security issues would not be addressed. It remains in the top tier by download volume, suggesting some ongoing use despite its dormant state.
Use it for
- Extract title, author, and other metadata from PDF files in batch processing workflows.
- Split multi-page PDFs into individual pages or merge multiple PDFs into a single document.
- Crop or resize PDF pages programmatically without external tools.
- Encrypt or decrypt PDF files for access control in document management systems.
- Manipulate PDFs entirely in memory on web servers without writing temporary files to disk.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No.
PyPDF4 is abandoned (no updates since 2018-08-07, 2929 days ago) and high install friction makes it a risky choice for new projects. Use only if maintaining legacy code that already depends on it and cannot migrate.
Install
pypdf4 on PyPI
Before you install
High install friction: the package has been abandoned for 2929 days with no updates since its initial release on 2018-08-07. No active maintenance or bug fixes are being applied.
Pure-Python implementation may be slow on large PDFs; no active maintenance means compatibility issues with newer Python versions are unlikely to be fixed.
License in practice
Licensed under BSD (permissive), allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, though the abandoned status means no ongoing legal or security review.
Quickstart
pip install PyPDF4==1.27.0
from PyPDF4 import PdfFileReader, PdfFileWriter
with open('input.pdf', 'rb') as f:
reader = PdfFileReader(f)
writer = PdfFileWriter()
writer.addPage(reader.getPage(0))
with open('output.pdf', 'wb') as out:
writer.write(out)Verify before relying
- Whether the package works reliably with modern Python versions given its abandoned status and lack of recent testing.
- Current real-world performance on large or complex PDF files.
- Whether in-memory StringIO-based PDF manipulation is production-ready or has known limitations.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | High. Source build required |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 2,929 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 92,220 / month, #13,467 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 :: BSD LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 3Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: PyPDF4-1.27.0.tar.gz
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See also pikepdf · PyPDF3 · pypdf · PyPDF2 · pdftotext · pypdftk · convertapi · borb · python-documentcloud · pdfrw