starlette
The little ASGI library that shines.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Starlette is a top-100 package with active maintenance, zero known vulnerabilities, low install friction, and a permissive license. It is well-suited for developers building async web services who want a minimal, modular framework. The only caveat is the 'Development Status :: 3 - Alpha' classifier in metadata—verify whether that reflects actual stability concerns or is simply outdated.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later.
- An ASGI server must be installed separately to run the application.
- Installation is straightforward with low friction—the package is a single wheel with only two runtime dependencies (anyio and typing-extensions).
License · maintenance · safety
BSD-3-Clause (permissive) — BSD-3-Clause is a permissive license, allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions beyond attribution and liability disclaimers.
last release 2026-08-08 (6 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 605,601,182 downloads/mo, #56 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install starlette
from starlette.applications import Starlette
from starlette.responses import JSONResponse
from starlette.routing import Route
async def homepage(request):
return JSONResponse({'hello': 'world'})
app = Starlette(routes=[Route('/', endpoint=homepage)])- Whether the 'Development Status :: 3 - Alpha' classifier reflects current stability or is outdated given the active maintenance and top-100 popularity.
- Performance characteristics against other ASGI frameworks in real-world workloads beyond the referenced benchmarks.
- Whether optional dependencies like httpx, jinja2, python-multipart, itsdangerous, and pyyaml are commonly needed for typical use cases.
What it is and what it does
Starlette is a minimal ASGI framework designed for building async web applications in Python. It provides core HTTP routing, WebSocket support, middleware, session handling, and background task execution without heavy dependencies—just anyio and typing-extensions at runtime. The framework is modular enough to use as a complete application framework or as individual ASGI components, making it suitable for both full-featured services and lightweight toolkits.
The package is actively maintained, supports Python 3.10 through 3.14, and includes built-in features like CORS, GZip compression, static file serving, and a test client. It is designed to work with both asyncio and trio async backends, positioning it as a flexible choice for developers building async services without framework overhead.
Use it for
- Build a lightweight async REST API with minimal boilerplate and dependencies.
- Add WebSocket support to an async Python application for real-time communication.
- Compose reusable ASGI middleware and mountable applications across multiple frameworks.
- Create a microservice or background task runner using async patterns without a heavy framework.
- Prototype or test ASGI concepts using individual Starlette components independently.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Starlette is a top-100 package with active maintenance, zero known vulnerabilities, low install friction, and a permissive license. It is well-suited for developers building async web services who want a minimal, modular framework. The only caveat is the 'Development Status :: 3 - Alpha' classifier in metadata—verify whether that reflects actual stability concerns or is simply outdated.
Install
starlette on PyPI
Before you install
Installation is straightforward with low friction—the package is a single wheel with only two runtime dependencies (anyio and typing-extensions). Maintenance status is active with a release 6 days ago, indicating ongoing development.
Requires Python 3.10 or later. An ASGI server must be installed separately to run the application.
License in practice
BSD-3-Clause is a permissive license, allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions beyond attribution and liability disclaimers.
Quickstart
pip install starlette
from starlette.applications import Starlette
from starlette.responses import JSONResponse
from starlette.routing import Route
async def homepage(request):
return JSONResponse({'hello': 'world'})
app = Starlette(routes=[Route('/', endpoint=homepage)])Verify before relying
- Whether the 'Development Status :: 3 - Alpha' classifier reflects current stability or is outdated given the active maintenance and top-100 popularity.
- Performance characteristics against other ASGI frameworks in real-world workloads beyond the referenced benchmarks.
- Whether optional dependencies like httpx, jinja2, python-multipart, itsdangerous, and pyyaml are commonly needed for typical use cases.
Package facts
| License | BSD-3-Clause permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagesanyiotyping-extensions |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 6 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 605,601,182 / month, #56 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 3 - AlphaEnvironment :: Web EnvironmentFramework :: AnyIOIntended Audience :: DevelopersOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Topic :: Internet :: WWW/HTTP |
Evidence: starlette-1.6.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also cross-web · starlette-cramjam · starlette-graphene3 · starlette-testclient · uvicorn · falcon · starlette-compress · starlette-context · sse-starlette · async-asgi-testclient