sphinxcontrib-blockdiag
Sphinx "blockdiag" extension
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if your Sphinx documentation is stable and you need simple block diagrams without external image management. No, if you require active maintenance, need to support future Sphinx versions, or prefer a maintained alternative. The low install friction and permissive license are offset by the project's abandonment status—use it only when you're confident your Sphinx and Python environment will remain compatible.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Sphinx and blockdiag as runtime dependencies; blockdiag itself may have system-level dependencies for diagram rendering.
- Low friction to install, but the project is abandoned—last release was 2021-12-05 and last commit 2022-09-29.
- It works with current Python versions (3.7+) but receives no active maintenance.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD (permissive) — BSD license is permissive; you can use this in commercial and open-source projects with minimal restrictions, though you must include the license notice.
last release 2021-12-05 (1713 days) · last repo commit 2022-09-29 · 16 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 75,350 downloads/mo, #14,724 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install sphinxcontrib-blockdiag
In conf.py:
extensions = ['sphinxcontrib.blockdiag']
In your .rst file:
.. blockdiag::
diagram {
A -> B -> C;
B -> D;
}- Whether blockdiag's own dependencies (e.g., Pillow, graphviz) are automatically satisfied or require separate installation.
- Compatibility with Sphinx versions beyond those tested at release; the extension may not work with very recent Sphinx releases.
- Whether the generated diagrams render correctly in modern Sphinx output formats (HTML5, PDF).
What it is and what it does
sphinxcontrib-blockdiag is a Sphinx extension that lets you embed block diagrams directly in your documentation source using blockdiag's simple syntax. You write diagram definitions in reStructuredText code blocks and the extension renders them as images during the Sphinx build process. It integrates seamlessly with Sphinx's documentation workflow, allowing you to keep diagrams close to the text that describes them.
The package depends on blockdiag for the actual rendering and Sphinx for integration. It's classified as Production/Stable and supports Python 3.7 through 3.9, but the project has been abandoned since late 2022—no updates have been released in over three years. If your documentation toolchain is stable and you don't need ongoing maintenance or support for newer Sphinx versions, it can still work, but you should be aware that bugs or incompatibilities with future Sphinx releases will not be fixed.
Use it for
- Add flowcharts and block diagrams to API documentation or architecture guides without external image files.
- Create system component diagrams in technical documentation that stay synchronized with source code.
- Generate visual process flows in user guides or runbooks embedded directly in Sphinx-built docs.
- Document data pipeline or workflow stages as part of a larger Sphinx documentation project.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if your Sphinx documentation is stable and you need simple block diagrams without external image management.
No, if you require active maintenance, need to support future Sphinx versions, or prefer a maintained alternative. The low install friction and permissive license are offset by the project's abandonment status—use it only when you're confident your Sphinx and Python environment will remain compatible.
Install
sphinxcontrib-blockdiag on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction to install, but the project is abandoned—last release was 2021-12-05 and last commit 2022-09-29. It works with current Python versions (3.7+) but receives no active maintenance.
Requires Sphinx and blockdiag as runtime dependencies; blockdiag itself may have system-level dependencies for diagram rendering.
License in practice
BSD license is permissive; you can use this in commercial and open-source projects with minimal restrictions, though you must include the license notice.
Quickstart
pip install sphinxcontrib-blockdiag
In conf.py:
extensions = ['sphinxcontrib.blockdiag']
In your .rst file:
.. blockdiag::
diagram {
A -> B -> C;
B -> D;
}Verify before relying
- Whether blockdiag's own dependencies (e.g., Pillow, graphviz) are automatically satisfied or require separate installation.
- Compatibility with Sphinx versions beyond those tested at release; the extension may not work with very recent Sphinx releases.
- Whether the generated diagrams render correctly in modern Sphinx output formats (HTML5, PDF).
Package facts
| License | BSD permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.7 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagesblockdiagSphinx |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 1,713 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 75,350 / month, #14,724 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/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleEnvironment :: Web EnvironmentFramework :: Sphinx :: ExtensionIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: DocumentationTopic :: Documentation :: SphinxTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: sphinxcontrib_blockdiag-3.0.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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