---
id: sip
version: "6.16.0"
license: BSD-2-Clause
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# sip — A Python bindings generator for C/C++ libraries

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 219.6K/mo

## What it is and what it does

SIP is a toolchain for generating Python bindings that expose C and C++ libraries as Python extension modules. It processes human-readable `.sip` specification files (which resemble C/C++ headers) and generates the glue code needed to bridge Python and compiled C/C++ code. The generated modules can be packaged and distributed independently, and SIP includes a runtime module that provides support functions to the generated bindings.

Developers use SIP to either wrap existing C/C++ libraries for use in Python (as done for PyQt and wxPython) or to selectively reimplement performance-critical parts of Python applications in C/C++. The workflow involves writing or editing `.sip` files to describe the library interface, then using SIP's build tools to compile those specifications into extension modules.

Use it for:

- Wrapping a C/C++ library like Qt or wxWidgets to make it available as a Python package.
- Creating Python bindings for a custom C/C++ library to use in a Python application.
- Rewriting performance-critical sections of a Python application in C/C++ and exposing them via bindings.
- Distributing compiled extension modules as part of a Python package across multiple Python versions.
- Generating bindings that remain independent of the Python version used (for extension modules).

## Worth the install?

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

SIP generates Python bindings for C and C++ libraries by processing specification files and creating compiled extension modules that expose C/C++ code to Python.

Yes. SIP is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries no known vulnerabilities, and is permissively licensed. Install it if you need to generate Python bindings for C/C++ libraries or if you are using a package (like PyQt) that depends on it. Not needed for pure-Python development.

## Install

pip install sip
uv add sip
poetry add sip

## Installing sip

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution. Actively maintained with a release 12 days ago. Requires Python 3.10 or later and depends on three lightweight runtime packages: packaging, setuptools, and tomli.

License in practice: Licensed under BSD-2-Clause (permissive), allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions. Includes a bundled copy of ply under BSD-3-Clause, also permissive.

Quickstart:

pip install sip

# Then use the sip build tool to process .sip specification files
# and generate C/C++ code that compiles into Python extension modules.
# The sip module is imported by the generated bindings at runtime.

Requires Python 3.10 or later. Building bindings requires a C/C++ compiler and the corresponding library headers for the target C/C++ library.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package includes pre-built wheels for all major platforms or requires compilation from source on some systems.
- Performance characteristics or benchmarks for generated bindings compared to other binding generators.
- Maturity and stability guarantees for the 6.16.0 release series.

## Package facts

- License: BSD-2-Clause (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 219.6K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

python bindings generator c++, c library python wrapper, python extension module builder, sip specification bindings, c++ to python bridge, python c bindings tool, c-bindings, extension-modules, code-generation

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