---
id: update-checker
version: "1.0.0"
license: BSD-2-Clause
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# update_checker — A python module that will check for package updates.

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 2.6M/mo

## What it is and what it does

update_checker is a lightweight utility that queries whether a specific Python package has a newer version available on PyPI. It wraps version comparison logic and provides both a simple function-based interface and a more flexible class-based API for conditional logic. The package supports both synchronous and asynchronous operations via an optional async extra.

The module is designed for developers who want to notify users when their installed packages are outdated. It operates on a whitelist model—only certain packages can be checked—which means you'll need to contact the author if you want to monitor a package not already approved. It has no external runtime dependencies and requires Python 3.10 or later.

Use it for:

- Notify users at startup if their installed version of a package is outdated
- Build a CLI tool that checks for updates to multiple whitelisted packages
- Periodically check for new releases in an async application without blocking
- Implement conditional logic to prompt users to upgrade before running critical code

## Worth the install?

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

Checks whether a whitelisted Python package has a newer version available, with support for both synchronous and asynchronous queries.

Yes, if the package you want to monitor is whitelisted. It's lightweight, actively maintained, has no dependencies, and offers both sync and async interfaces. The main constraint is the whitelist requirement—verify your target package is supported before committing to it.

## Install

pip install update-checker
uv add update-checker
poetry add update-checker

## Installing update_checker

Before you install: Low friction install with no runtime dependencies. Active maintenance (last commit 2026-08-14, 67 days since release) and requires Python 3.10 or later.

License in practice: BSD-2-Clause permissive license allows use in most projects with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install update_checker

from update_checker import update_check
update_check("praw", "0.0.1")

Only whitelisted packages can be checked; contact the author to add a package to the whitelist.

Verify before relying:

- Which packages are currently whitelisted for update checking
- Whether the whitelist is maintained and how to request additions
- Performance characteristics when checking multiple packages

## Package facts

- License: BSD-2-Clause (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 2.6M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

check for package updates, python package version checker, detect newer package releases, async package update checker, pypi version monitoring, package update notification, version-checking, async-support

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/update-checker) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/update-checker/)