---
id: pyvisa-py
version: "0.8.1"
license: The MIT License Copyright (c) 2014 PyVISA-py Authors and contributors. See AUTHORS Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated… (full text in the JSON record)
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# PyVISA-py — Pure Python implementation of a VISA library.

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 849.1K/mo

## What it is and what it does

PyVISA-py implements the VISA standard—a widely used protocol for controlling laboratory instruments—entirely in Python, eliminating the need to install proprietary VISA libraries from vendors like National Instruments or Keysight. It acts as a backend to the pyvisa package, translating high-level instrument commands into low-level communication over Serial, USB, GPIB, and Ethernet interfaces. The package uses well-maintained cross-platform Python libraries (PySerial, PyUSB, etc.) to handle the actual I/O, making it portable across Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Typical use is in measurement automation, data acquisition, and laboratory control scripts where you need to query or command instruments without vendor lock-in. You install it, tell pyvisa to use the '@py' backend, and then use standard VISA resource names to open connections to instruments. Optional dependencies unlock additional features like GPIB support, device discovery, and proprietary protocols.

Use it for:

- Automate multi-instrument measurement sequences in a lab without installing vendor VISA libraries.
- Query and control USB or serial instruments from a Python script on Linux, macOS, or Windows.
- Discover TCPIP instruments across network interfaces using psutil integration.
- Develop portable instrument control code that runs on multiple operating systems without recompilation.
- Integrate laboratory equipment into data acquisition pipelines using standard VISA resource addressing.

## Worth the install?

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

PyVISA-py is a pure Python backend for the VISA standard that enables communication with laboratory instruments over Serial, USB, GPIB, and Ethernet without requiring proprietary VISA libraries.

Yes, if you need to control laboratory instruments via VISA and want to avoid proprietary library dependencies. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive MIT license, and supports current Python versions. Install it as a pyvisa backend when vendor VISA libraries are unavailable or when cross-platform portability is required. No known vulnerabilities as of the fact sheet date.

## Install

pip install pyvisa-py
uv add pyvisa-py
poetry add pyvisa-py

## Installing PyVISA-py

Before you install: Low friction: pure Python wheel with only pyvisa and typing_extensions as runtime dependencies. Actively maintained with recent commits and Beta stability status. Supports Python 3.10–3.13 across macOS, Windows, and Linux.

License in practice: MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in both open and closed projects with minimal obligations—only attribution and license inclusion required.

Quickstart:

pip install pyvisa-py

import pyvisa
rm = pyvisa.ResourceManager('@py')
inst = rm.open_resource('GPIB0::1::INSTR')
response = inst.query('*IDN?')

Requires pyvisa to be installed; optional platform-specific dependencies (PySerial, PyUSB, linux-gpib, gpib-ctypes, psutil, zeroconf, pyvicp) needed for specific instrument types or discovery features.

Verify before relying:

- Extent of VISA method coverage beyond message-based communication (e.g., raw socket, service request, event handling).
- Performance characteristics compared to native VISA libraries for high-throughput or latency-sensitive applications.
- Completeness of cross-platform GPIB support, particularly on Windows with gpib-ctypes.

## Package facts

- License: The MIT License Copyright (c) 2014 PyVISA-py Authors and contributors. See AUTHORS Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated… (full text in the JSON record) (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 849.1K/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

VISA backend pure python, instrument control serial USB GPIB, laboratory measurement acquisition, virtual instrument software architecture, cross-platform instrument communication, GPIB USB serial ethernet instruments, instrument-control, visa-backend, lab-automation

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