---
id: salamandra
version: "1.0.1"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# salamandra — Framework for netlist manipulation

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 181.7K/mo

## What it is and what it does

Salamandra is an object-oriented framework for working with electronic circuit netlists in Python. It provides core classes—Component, Net, Param, and Pin—that let you build hierarchical circuit descriptions programmatically, define connectivity between pins and nets, manage parameters (like transistor width and length), and export the result to Verilog format. You can create leaf components like transistors, compose them into higher-level blocks like inverters, connect pins to nets or constants, and manipulate the netlist structure through operations like flattening, cloning, and uniquification.

The package is designed for hardware engineers and EDA tool developers who need to generate or analyze netlists programmatically rather than by hand. It supports busses for multi-bit signals, properties on objects for metadata (like timing delays), and connectivity introspection. However, the project has been inactive since April 2021 and is no longer maintained, so it carries the risk of incompatibility with newer Python versions or evolving standards.

Use it for:

- Generate circuit netlists programmatically for custom cell libraries or design flows
- Build hierarchical circuit descriptions by composing components and managing pin-to-net connectivity
- Export circuit designs to Verilog format for simulation or synthesis tools
- Analyze and transform existing netlists through flattening, cloning, or uniquification operations
- Attach metadata to circuit elements for downstream processing

## Worth the install?

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

Salamandra is a Python framework for loading, analyzing, generating, and storing electronic circuit netlists through an object-oriented API.

No. While Salamandra is permissively licensed and has no dependencies, the project has been abandoned for nearly 1949 days with no maintenance or updates. The description itself notes that documentation is incomplete and expected to be added—a promise never fulfilled. For active EDA work, choose a maintained alternative; for legacy code already using it, keep the existing version but do not adopt it for new projects.

## Install

pip install salamandra
uv add salamandra
poetry add salamandra

## Installing salamandra

Before you install: Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies. However, the project has been abandoned since April 2021 with no maintenance activity in nearly 1949 days, so expect no bug fixes or updates.

License in practice: Salamandra is released under the Apache 2.0 permissive license, allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install salamandra==1.0.1

import salamandra as slm
nmos = slm.Component('nmos')
nmos.add_pin(slm.Pin('source'))
nmos.add_pin(slm.Pin('drain'))

Only Python 3 is supported; requires Python >= 3.5

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works correctly with Python versions beyond 3.5 despite being marked as supporting current versions
- Whether the incomplete documentation mentioned in the description has been addressed since the last release
- Real-world compatibility with modern Verilog export workflows and netlist standards

## Package facts

- License: not declared (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 181.7K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

netlist manipulation python, circuit netlist framework, verilog netlist generation, component hierarchy modeling, pin net connectivity, hardware design automation, circuit description language, eda, circuit-design, abandoned

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