---
id: pystac-ext-timestamps
version: "1.1.1"
license: Apache-2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# pystac-ext-timestamps — Timestamps extension for PySTAC

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 4.0M/mo

## What it is and what it does

pystac-ext-timestamps is a PySTAC extension package that adds support for the Timestamps Extension specification (v1.1.0). It extends PySTAC's core datetime handling to include additional temporal metadata fields—published, expires, and unpublished—allowing STAC items and catalogs to express richer temporal context beyond a single datetime value. This is useful for describing when content was published, when it expires, or when it was unpublished, which is common in imagery and data catalogs.

The package is a thin wrapper around the extension specification, designed to integrate seamlessly with pystac-core. It requires Python 3.10 or later and has minimal dependencies. The package version tracks the extension specification version it targets, with post-releases used for code updates that don't change the specification version. It's actively maintained and carries no known security vulnerabilities.

Use it for:

- Add publication and expiration dates to satellite imagery or raster data in STAC catalogs.
- Track temporal lifecycle of archived content by marking when items were published, unpublished, or expire.
- Extend STAC metadata for time-sensitive datasets like weather forecasts or temporary data products.
- Build catalogs where temporal validity beyond a single datetime is a requirement for discovery or filtering.

## Worth the install?

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

Adds support for the Timestamps Extension to PySTAC, enabling published, expires, and unpublished temporal metadata fields beyond core datetime in STAC catalogs.

Yes, if you are using PySTAC and need to represent additional temporal metadata (published, expires, unpublished) in your STAC items or catalogs. The package is actively maintained, has no security issues, and integrates cleanly with a single dependency. Install it only if your use case requires these extended timestamp fields; it is not needed for basic PySTAC workflows.

## Install

pip install pystac-ext-timestamps
uv add pystac-ext-timestamps
poetry add pystac-ext-timestamps

## Installing pystac-ext-timestamps

Before you install: Low friction install with a single runtime dependency on pystac-core. Actively maintained with a recent release (4 days old) and no known vulnerabilities.

License in practice: Apache-2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.

Quickstart:

pip install pystac-ext-timestamps

import pystac_ext_timestamps
from pystac import Catalog

catalog = Catalog.from_dict({...})
# Timestamps extension fields now available on items

Requires Python 3.10 or later.

Verify before relying:

- How the extension integrates with existing PySTAC workflows and whether it requires explicit registration or import-time activation.
- Whether the extension modifies item serialization or is purely a schema/validation layer.

## Package facts

- License: Apache-2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 4.0M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

pystac timestamps extension, stac temporal metadata, pystac published expires fields, stac extension timestamps, catalog temporal metadata, pystac additional datetime fields, stac, geospatial, metadata

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