selectors2
Back-ported, durable, and portable selectors
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No, unless you are maintaining legacy Python 2.6–3.4 code that requires selector functionality and cannot use the standard library module. The package is abandoned (last release July 21, 2020, repository archived) and receives no security or maintenance updates. Modern Python users should use the standard library selectors module instead.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires a platform with a selector available (select.select, epoll, kqueue, poll, or devpoll); raises RuntimeError on platforms without any selector.
- Low install friction with no runtime dependencies.
- However, the package is abandoned as of July 21, 2020 and its repository is archived.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — Dual-licensed under MIT and PSF License, both permissive. You may use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial or private projects with minimal restrictions.
last release 2020-07-21 (2215 days) · last repo commit 2020-07-21 · 14 stars · archived
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 159,258 downloads/mo, #10,702 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
import selectors2 as selectors
s = selectors.DefaultSelector()
import socket
sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
s.register(sock, selectors.EVENT_WRITE)
events = s.select(timeout=1.0)
for key, event in events:
if event & selectors.EVENT_WRITE:
key.fileobj.send(b'data')- Whether PEP 475 interrupt-retry behavior remains necessary in modern Python versions.
- Current real-world adoption outside of legacy Python 2 codebases.
- Compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.4 despite abandonment.
What it is and what it does
Selectors2 is a backport of Python's selectors module designed for older Python versions (2.6–3.4) and Jython. It provides a unified API for monitoring file descriptors (sockets and pipes) for I/O readiness across different operating systems by selecting the best available selector type—epoll on Linux, kqueue on BSD/macOS, poll on some Unix systems, or the portable select() fallback. The package implements PEP 475 to handle interrupted system calls gracefully, retrying rather than returning spurious empty events.
The module is a drop-in replacement for the standard library selectors module and was originally developed to solve real-world durability and portability problems. It supports monkey-patching scenarios and detects systems that claim to support a selector but don't actually implement it. However, the package has been abandoned since July 21, 2020 and receives no maintenance; modern Python users should use the standard library selectors module instead.
Use it for
- Porting async I/O code to Python 2.6–3.4 environments where the standard selectors module is unavailable or incomplete.
- Building network libraries that need robust selector support across Linux, macOS, Windows, and Jython without external async frameworks.
- Handling interrupted system calls reliably in older Python versions that predate PEP 475.
- Monitoring multiple sockets or pipes for read/write events in legacy applications that cannot upgrade Python versions.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No, unless you are maintaining legacy Python 2.6–3.4 code that requires selector functionality and cannot use the standard library module.
The package is abandoned (last release July 21, 2020, repository archived) and receives no security or maintenance updates. Modern Python users should use the standard library selectors module instead.
Install
selectors2 on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is abandoned as of July 21, 2020 and its repository is archived. Use only if you need Python 2.6–3.4 support or cannot upgrade to the standard library selectors module.
Requires a platform with a selector available (select.select, epoll, kqueue, poll, or devpoll); raises RuntimeError on platforms without any selector.
License in practice
Dual-licensed under MIT and PSF License, both permissive. You may use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial or private projects with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
import selectors2 as selectors
s = selectors.DefaultSelector()
import socket
sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
s.register(sock, selectors.EVENT_WRITE)
events = s.select(timeout=1.0)
for key, event in events:
if event & selectors.EVENT_WRITE:
key.fileobj.send(b'data')Verify before relying
- Whether PEP 475 interrupt-retry behavior remains necessary in modern Python versions.
- Current real-world adoption outside of legacy Python 2 codebases.
- Compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.4 despite abandonment.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 2,215 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | repository archived |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 159,258 / month, #10,702 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | License :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseLicense :: OSI Approved :: Python Software Foundation LicenseProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 2.6Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4 |
Evidence: selectors2-2.0.2-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also rel · cssselect2 · selectolax · cssselect · whichcraft · soupsieve · subprocess32 · eval-type-backport · asynctest · typing-extensions