---
id: singer-sdk
version: "0.54.5"
license: Apache-2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# singer-sdk — A framework for building Singer taps and targets

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 8.5M/mo

## What it is and what it does

Singer SDK is a framework for building data extraction (tap) and loading (target) connectors that comply with the Singer Spec, an open standard for ELT pipelines. It reduces boilerplate by providing base classes, schema handling, state management, and Singer protocol compliance out of the box. The SDK integrates with Meltano, a broader ELT platform, but can also be used standalone to build Singer-compliant connectors.

Developers use it to create custom data connectors without reimplementing Singer protocol logic. The framework handles common concerns like configuration validation (via jsonschema), incremental state tracking, and record serialization. It depends on a broad set of utilities: click for CLI, sqlalchemy for database operations, jsonschema for validation, requests for HTTP, and several others for data transformation and path handling.

Use it for:

- Build a custom tap to extract data from a proprietary or unsupported data source into Singer format.
- Create a target connector that loads Singer-formatted data into a custom data warehouse or application.
- Extend an existing Meltano project with a connector for a data source not in the 300+ natively supported list.
- Develop a reusable connector library that other teams can integrate into their ELT pipelines.
- Implement incremental sync logic for a data source without writing Singer protocol handling from scratch.

## Worth the install?

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

Builds Singer-compliant data extraction taps and loading targets with less boilerplate code than writing them from scratch.

Yes. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, uses a permissive license, and supports current Python versions. Install it if you need to build Singer-compliant data connectors or integrate with Meltano pipelines. It is not necessary if you only use pre-built connectors or do not work with Singer-based ELT.

## Install

pip install singer-sdk
uv add singer-sdk
poetry add singer-sdk

## Installing singer-sdk

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-wheel distribution. Active maintenance with a release 59 days ago and ongoing commits; the repository is not archived.

License in practice: Apache-2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install singer-sdk

from singer_sdk import Tap, Target
from singer_sdk.typing import PropertiesList

class MyTap(Tap):
    name = "my-tap"
    config_jsonschema = PropertiesList().to_dict()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    tap = MyTap()
    tap.run()

Requires Python 3.10 or later.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the 70% code reduction claim is typical across different connector types or specific to certain data sources.
- Specific Singer Spec version compliance level and any known incompatibilities with existing Singer ecosystem tools.

## Package facts

- License: Apache-2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 8.5M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

singer tap target framework, build data extractors loaders, singer spec compliant sdk, elt pipeline connectors, meltano tap target sdk, elt-framework, data-integration, singer-spec

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