---
id: robotframework
version: "7.4.2"
license: Apache License 2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# robotframework — Generic automation framework for acceptance testing and robotic process automation (RPA)

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 5.1M/mo

## What it is and what it does

Robot Framework is a generic automation framework implemented in Python that lets you write tests and automation tasks in a simple, readable plain-text syntax. It's designed to be operating system and application independent, making it suitable for acceptance testing, test-driven development workflows, and robotic process automation. The framework can be extended with custom and generic libraries written in Python, and it operates through command-line tools like `robot` for executing tests and `rebot` for post-processing results.

The framework is particularly useful when you need a human-readable test format that non-programmers can understand, or when you want to build reusable keyword-based automation across multiple projects. It has no runtime dependencies beyond Python itself, making it straightforward to install and deploy. The project is actively maintained by the Robot Framework Foundation and has a mature ecosystem of supporting libraries and tools.

Use it for:

- Write acceptance tests in plain text that business analysts and QA engineers can read and maintain without deep programming knowledge.
- Automate repetitive business processes (RPA workflows) like data entry, file processing, or system interactions.
- Build keyword-driven test suites that reuse common automation patterns across multiple projects or teams.
- Implement acceptance test-driven development (ATDD) workflows where tests drive feature development.
- Execute browser-based testing workflows by combining with web testing libraries in the Robot Framework ecosystem.

## Worth the install?

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

Robot Framework is a generic open-source automation framework for acceptance testing, acceptance test-driven development (ATDD), and robotic process automation (RPA) with a simple plain-text syntax.

Yes. Robot Framework is a mature, actively maintained automation framework with zero security vulnerabilities, permissive licensing, and no installation friction. It's well-suited for teams needing readable, maintainable test automation or RPA workflows. The main consideration is ensuring compatibility with the ecosystem libraries you plan to use.

## Install

pip install robotframework
uv add robotframework
poetry add robotframework

## Installing robotframework

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure Python wheel distribution and no runtime dependencies. Active maintenance with recent releases; the project is sponsored by the Robot Framework Foundation and has 11821 GitHub stars.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (permissive), allowing commercial use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions. Documentation uses Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported.

Quickstart:

pip install robotframework

Create a test file (tests.robot):
*** Test Cases ***
Example Test
    Log    Hello, Robot Framework

Run tests:
robot tests.robot

Requires Python 3.8 or newer; Robot Framework 7.4.2 does not support Python 3.6, 3.7, or Python 2.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the framework's ecosystem of libraries and tools (mentioned as separate projects) are actively maintained and compatible with version 7.4.2.
- Performance characteristics and scalability limits for large test suites or RPA workflows.

## Package facts

- License: Apache License 2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 5.1M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

acceptance testing framework, robotic process automation, test automation, bdd testing tool, keyword-driven testing, atdd framework, automation testing platform, test-automation, rpa, keyword-driven

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