six
Python 2 and 3 compatibility utilities
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you maintain code that must support both Python 2.7 and Python 3. No, if you are starting a new project. For existing projects still supporting Python 2, six remains a proven and actively maintained tool with no security vulnerabilities and minimal install friction.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low install friction with a single-file wheel distribution.
- Actively maintained with stable production status; last commit 2026-02-23.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license (permissive) allows use in most projects with minimal restrictions; copyright and license notice must be retained if copying the file into your project.
last release 2024-12-04 (618 days) · last repo commit 2026-02-23 · 1,025 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 1,177,269,151 downloads/mo, #17 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install six
import six
if six.PY2:
# Python 2 code path
else:
# Python 3 code path- Whether six remains necessary given Python 2.7 end-of-life and modern Python 3-only ecosystems.
- Current adoption trends for new projects versus legacy maintenance scenarios.
What it is and what it does
Six is a compatibility library designed to bridge Python 2 and Python 3, allowing developers to write code that runs on both versions. It abstracts away syntactic and semantic differences so a single codebase can execute on Python 2.7 and Python 3.3 or later.
The library is implemented as a single Python file, making it trivial to include directly in a project if desired. It has no runtime dependencies and installs as a pure-Python wheel, so there are no compilation or system-library requirements. Six is most relevant for maintaining legacy codebases that still support Python 2, or for libraries that need to support both versions during a transition period.
Use it for
- Maintain a library or application that must run on both Python 2.7 and Python 3 during a migration.
- Abstract version-specific code paths to reduce conditional logic in a codebase targeting both versions.
- Port Python 2 code to run on Python 3 without rewriting all compatibility shims from scratch.
- Provide a stable compatibility layer for dependencies that need to support older Python 2 installations.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you maintain code that must support both Python 2.7 and Python 3.
No, if you are starting a new project. For existing projects still supporting Python 2, six remains a proven and actively maintained tool with no security vulnerabilities and minimal install friction.
Install
six on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a single-file wheel distribution. Actively maintained with stable production status; last commit 2026-02-23.
License in practice
MIT license (permissive) allows use in most projects with minimal restrictions; copyright and license notice must be retained if copying the file into your project.
Quickstart
pip install six
import six
if six.PY2:
# Python 2 code path
else:
# Python 3 code pathVerify before relying
- Whether six remains necessary given Python 2.7 end-of-life and modern Python 3-only ecosystems.
- Current adoption trends for new projects versus legacy maintenance scenarios.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release !=3.0.*,!=3.1.*,!=3.2.*,>=2.7 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 618 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 1,177,269,151 / month, #17 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 3Topic :: Software Development :: LibrariesTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: six-1.17.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also eight · future · types-six · ansible-compat · backports.csv · english · unittest2 · mo-future · sklearn-compat · csv23