---
id: verlib2
version: "26.2"
license: unclear
license_treatment: unclear
maintenance: active
---

# verlib2 — A standalone bundle of "distutils.version" and "packaging.version", without anything else.

License: unclear · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 235.5K/mo

## What it is and what it does

verlib2 bundles the version-parsing logic from both distutils and the packaging library into a single, lightweight standalone module. It provides LooseVersion and StrictVersion from PEP 386, plus the Version class from PEP 440, without requiring you to add packaging as a dependency or rely on the deprecated distutils standard library.

The package solves a practical problem: many projects need version comparison but want to avoid the overhead of packaging, or they're migrating away from distutils after its removal in Python 3.12. verlib2 bundles both implementations with backward-compatible syntax to support Python 3.6 and later, so you can import what you need and compare versions with a single lightweight dependency.

Use it for:

- Parse and compare versions in build scripts or package management tools without adding packaging as a dependency.
- Handle both PEP 386 (distutils) and PEP 440 (packaging) version formats in legacy or mixed codebases.
- Replace deprecated distutils.version imports in projects targeting Python 3.12 and later where distutils was removed.

## Worth the install?

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

Provides standalone version comparison and parsing for PEP 386 and PEP 440 version schemes without requiring the full packaging library or deprecated distutils.

Yes. If you need version parsing and comparison without packaging as a dependency, or you're migrating from distutils, this is a practical drop-in. Low install friction, active maintenance, no known vulnerabilities. License treatment is unclear, so verify the actual license before use in proprietary code.

## Install

pip install verlib2
uv add verlib2
poetry add verlib2

## Installing verlib2

Before you install: Low friction: pure Python wheel with only two lightweight runtime dependencies (importlib-metadata and typing-extensions). Active maintenance as of 37 days ago with recent commits.

Quickstart:

pip install verlib2

from verlib2 import Version
assert Version("1.0.dev456") < Version("1!1.2.rev33+123456")

Verify before relying:

- Whether the bundled implementations remain synchronized with upstream projects as they evolve.
- Performance characteristics compared to alternatives for large-scale version comparisons.

## Package facts

- License: not declared (unclear)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 235.5K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

version comparison, pep 440 version parsing, distutils version standalone, version string parsing, semantic versioning, version-management, pep440, distutils-replacement

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/verlib2) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/verlib2/)