---
id: saxonche
version: "13.0.0"
license: unclear
license_treatment: unclear
maintenance: active
---

# saxonche — Official Saxonica python package for the SaxonC-HE 13.0.0 processor: for XSLT 3.0, XQuery 3.1, XPath 3.1 and XML Schema processing.

License: unclear · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 1.3M/mo

## What it is and what it does

SaxonC-HE is the open-source Home Edition of Saxon, a standards-compliant XML processor developed by Saxonica. It provides Python bindings to a native C/C++ implementation of Saxon, making W3C-standard XML processing available without a Java runtime. The package supports XSLT 3.0, XQuery 3.1, XPath 3.1, and XSD 1.1 validation—all the latest W3C standards for XML processing.

You use it by instantiating a PySaxonProcessor, then creating specialized processors (XSLT, XQuery, XPath) or validators as needed. The API lets you parse XML, compile stylesheets or queries, and execute transformations or evaluations, returning results as strings or XDM data model objects. It's designed for developers who need strict W3C compliance and don't want to depend on Java or pure-Python XML libraries that may lag behind standards.

Use it for:

- Run XSLT 3.0 stylesheets against XML documents in production pipelines without a Java dependency
- Validate XML documents against XSD 1.1 schemas with full W3C compliance
- Execute XQuery 3.1 queries against XML data for complex document transformations
- Perform XPath 3.1 queries on XML documents when standard library XPath support is insufficient
- Integrate standards-compliant XML processing into Python applications that require strict W3C conformance

## Worth the install?

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

SaxonC-HE is a Python wrapper for Saxon, an XML processor that runs XSLT 3.0 transformations, XQuery 3.1 queries, XPath 3.1 expressions, and XML Schema validation.

Yes, if you need W3C-compliant XSLT 3.0, XQuery 3.1, or XPath 3.1 processing and want to avoid Java dependencies. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and supports modern Python versions. License treatment is unclear in metadata—verify Saxonica's terms before deployment. Medium install friction is acceptable for a compiled extension.

## Install

pip install saxonche
uv add saxonche
poetry add saxonche

## Installing saxonche

Before you install: Medium install friction due to compiled wheels for multiple Python versions and platforms. Package is actively maintained with a recent release 77 days ago and supports current Python versions (3.9+).

License in practice: License treatment is unclear in the metadata. The package itself is open-source (Home Edition), but commercial editions (PE, EE) require paid licenses. Review Saxonica's terms and conditions before use.

Quickstart:

pip install saxonche

from saxonche import PySaxonProcessor

proc = PySaxonProcessor(license=False)
print(proc.version)

Requires Python 3.9 or later. License configuration via SAXONC_HOME environment variable or licenseFileLocation property may be needed for commercial editions.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works reliably on all listed platform/Python combinations in production environments
- Performance characteristics compared to other XML processors for large documents
- Community adoption and real-world usage patterns beyond download counts

## Package facts

- License: not declared (unclear)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: medium
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 1.3M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

xslt 3.0 processor python, xquery 3.1 evaluation, xml schema validation, xpath 3.1 queries, xml document processing, saxon xml processor, w3c standards xml, xml-processing, xslt-xquery, w3c-standards

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