---
id: y-py
version: "0.6.2"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# y-py — Python bindings for the Y-CRDT built from yrs (Rust)

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 1.2M/mo

## What it is and what it does

Ypy wraps the Rust-based Yrs library to bring Y-CRDT (Conflict-free Replicated Data Types) to Python. It enables multiple devices or processes to maintain synchronized shared state without a central authority, automatically resolving concurrent edits. The library models all data within a YDoc container and requires updates to happen inside transaction blocks, mirroring the design of Yjs (the JavaScript Y-CRDT binding). You can encode and apply state diffs to sync documents, making it suitable for collaborative editors, real-time applications, and distributed systems where eventual consistency is acceptable.

The package is a thin wrapper around Rust code, providing both safety and performance. It ships as pre-compiled wheels for Python 3.7–3.12 on Linux, macOS, and Windows. However, the project is archived and abandoned as of October 2023, with no active maintenance—the last commit was in April 2025 but the repository is marked archived, signaling that the maintainers are no longer actively developing it.

Use it for:

- Build collaborative text editors or note-taking apps where multiple users edit the same document simultaneously.
- Sync application state across browser and server in real-time without polling or manual conflict resolution.
- Implement distributed whiteboards or drawing applications with automatic convergence of concurrent strokes.
- Create offline-first mobile or desktop apps that merge local edits with remote changes when connectivity returns.
- Share structured data (arrays, maps, text) between Python services and JavaScript/TypeScript clients via Y-CRDT protocol.

## Worth the install?

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

Ypy is a Python binding for Y-CRDT that provides distributed data types enabling real-time collaboration and state synchronization between devices through a transaction-based API.

Yes, if you need Y-CRDT in Python and can accept an abandoned codebase. The library is stable and has no known vulnerabilities, but expect no future updates, security patches, or API changes. Suitable for new projects only if you are comfortable maintaining a fork or migrating away if critical issues arise. For production systems requiring active maintenance, evaluate whether a maintained alternative or a different CRDT approach better fits your risk tolerance.

## Install

pip install y-py
uv add y-py
poetry add y-py

## Installing y-py

Before you install: Medium install friction due to compiled Rust bindings; wheels are pre-built for common platforms (Python 3.7–3.12, Linux/macOS/Windows). However, the project is abandoned as of October 2023 with no recent maintenance, and the repository is archived—expect no bug fixes or updates.

License in practice: Licensed under MIT (permissive), allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

import y_py as Y

d1 = Y.YDoc()
text = d1.get_text('test')
with d1.begin_transaction() as txn:
    text.extend(txn, "hello world!")

d2 = Y.YDoc()
state_vector = Y.encode_state_vector(d2)
diff = Y.encode_state_as_update(d1, state_vector)
Y.apply_update(d2, diff)

Requires Python 3.7 or later; compiled wheels available for common architectures but not for all platforms (e.g., WASM/Pyodide wheels must be sourced from GitHub releases, not PyPI).

Verify before relying:

- Whether the abandoned status and lack of updates since October 2023 affect compatibility with current Python or ecosystem changes.
- Performance characteristics and scalability limits for typical collaborative editing workloads.
- Interoperability guarantees with other Y-CRDT implementations across versions.

## Package facts

- License: not declared (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: medium
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 1.2M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

crdt python binding, real-time collaboration library, distributed data sync, yjs alternative python, conflict-free replicated data types, cross-device state sharing, collaborative editing backend, crdt, real-time-sync, abandoned

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