---
id: python-osc
version: "1.10.2"
license: This is free and unencumbered software released into the public domain. Anyone is free to copy, modify, publish, use, compile, sell, or distribute this software, either in source code form or as a… (full text in the JSON record)
license_treatment: unclear
maintenance: active
---

# python-osc — Open Sound Control server and client implementations in pure Python

License: unclear · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 97.3K/mo

## What it is and what it does

python-osc is a pure-Python implementation of the Open Sound Control protocol, a network protocol for communicating musical and other real-time data between computers and synthesizers. It provides both server and client sides, supporting UDP and TCP transports with flexible concurrency modes (blocking, threading, forking, or asyncio). The library includes a dispatcher that maps OSC addresses to Python callback functions, allowing you to define handlers for incoming messages and send responses back.

The package is designed for audio/music applications, live performance control, and any scenario requiring low-latency networked messaging of structured data. It handles standard OSC argument types (integers, floats, strings, MIDI, timestamps, blobs) and supports both simple point-to-point messaging and bundled messages. With no external dependencies and active maintenance, it is ready for production use.

Use it for:

- Build a networked music controller that sends OSC messages from a Python script to a DAW or synthesizer.
- Create an OSC server to receive control messages from hardware controllers or other applications and trigger Python callbacks.
- Implement real-time parameter automation by bundling multiple OSC messages and sending them atomically to a remote device.
- Integrate OSC messaging into a live performance or interactive installation where Python coordinates with external audio software.
- Route and transform OSC traffic between multiple networked audio applications using a dispatcher-based relay.

## Worth the install?

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

python-osc implements Open Sound Control (OSC) servers and clients in pure Python, supporting UDP and TCP protocols with multiple concurrency models (blocking, threading, forking, asyncio) and a dispatcher-based address-to-callback routing system.

Yes. python-osc is a stable, actively maintained, dependency-free implementation of a well-defined protocol. It has no known vulnerabilities, low install friction, and explicit public-domain licensing. Install it if you need to send or receive OSC messages from Python; the only constraint is a Python 3.10+ requirement.

## Install

pip install python-osc
uv add python-osc
poetry add python-osc

## Installing python-osc

Before you install: Installation is straightforward with no external dependencies; the package is pure Python and distributed as a wheel. Maintenance is active with a recent release (134 days ago) and steady repository activity.

License in practice: The package is released under the Unlicense (public domain dedication), which places no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution for any purpose. License treatment is marked unclear in the metadata, but the raw license text is explicit.

Quickstart:

pip install python-osc

from pythonosc import udp_client
client = udp_client.SimpleUDPClient("127.0.0.1", 5005)
client.send_message("/filter", 0.5)

Requires Python 3.10 or later.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the 'unclear' license_treatment flag reflects a known ambiguity or is a metadata artifact given the explicit Unlicense text.
- Performance characteristics under high-throughput message loads or with many concurrent connections.

## Package facts

- License: This is free and unencumbered software released into the public domain. Anyone is free to copy, modify, publish, use, compile, sell, or distribute this software, either in source code form or as a… (full text in the JSON record) (unclear)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 97.3K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

open sound control osc, osc server client python, udp tcp audio messaging, osc dispatcher routing, music protocol networking, osc asyncio threading, sound control protocol, osc-protocol, audio-networking, asyncio-ready

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