macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install flitlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install flit with Homebrew, apt, dnf
Simplified packaging of Python modules. Version 3.12.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-21.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install flitDebian stable package indexes · flit · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install flitFedora Rawhide package metadata · flit · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
overview
Package summary
Simplified packaging of Python modules
Project links
Commands and aliases
- flit
history
Project history and usage
Flit is a Python packaging tool for publishing modules and packages to PyPI with a small amount of project metadata. It became notable in Python packaging culture as an early, opinionated tool built around pyproject.toml and the PEP 517 build-backend model rather than the older setup.py workflow.
Project history
The project appeared on PyPI in 2015 and describes itself as a simple way to put Python packages and modules on PyPI while avoiding common packaging mistakes. Its workflow centers on running flit init to create pyproject.toml, then using flit publish or flit install for distribution and local development.
Flit's documentation records the evolution from the very old flit.ini format, to the older [tool.flit.metadata] table, and then to the standard [project] table. The same documentation identifies flit_core as the build backend used by pip and other build frontends.
Adoption history
Flit was adopted by Python projects that wanted a low-boilerplate packaging path for single import packages and modules. Its role grew with standard pyproject.toml metadata, because it offered a compact implementation of the modern build-backend approach.
The package is distributed through PyPI and is also curated by operating-system package managers, including Homebrew and several Linux distributions in the supplied package facts.
How it is used
Typical use starts with python3 -m pip install flit, then flit init in a project directory to create pyproject.toml. Publishing is done with flit publish, and development installs use flit install with optional symlink and interpreter flags.
Flit is intentionally narrow: it packages one importable module or package at a time, reads common metadata from pyproject.toml and the module, and delegates standard wheel installation behavior to pip.
Why package nerds care
Flit is significant to package maintainers because it made pyproject.toml-first packaging feel practical before that workflow became routine. It is also a useful reference point for the division between a frontend CLI, flit, and a backend package, flit_core.
For package-index and distribution maintainers, Flit is a clean example of PEP 517-era packaging: projects can declare flit_core.buildapi in [build-system], allowing build tools to construct wheels without executing setup.py.
Timeline
- 2015: Flit 0.1 is uploaded to PyPI.
- 2016: Early 0.x releases continue the simple PyPI publishing workflow.
- 2020: Flit 3.x era documentation supports the standard [project] metadata table.
- 2026: PyPI metadata reports Flit 3.12.0 as the current release during this enrichment run.
Related projects
- flit_core is the build backend used in pyproject.toml for Flit-built packages.
- pip consumes Flit-built wheels and can invoke Flit in an isolated build environment for source distributions.
- setuptools and other Python packaging tools are the broader ecosystem that Flit is commonly compared against.
Sources
security posture
No protected-tool coverage found yet
No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for flit. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
- Installs with 2 runtime dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
pyproject.toml
Credential files
Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.
- Unix
~/.pypirc
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
flit | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version3.12.0
manager updated2026-05-21
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/pypa/flitnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:flit |
|---|---|
| Version | 3.12.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/flit |
| Homepage | https://github.com/pypa/flit |
| Repository | https://github.com/pypa/flit |
| Upstream docs | https://flit.pypa.io/en/stable |
| License | BSD-3-Clause |
| Source archive | https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/50/9c/0608c91a5b6c013c63548515ae31cff6399cd9ce891bd9daee8c103da09b/flit-3.12.0.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-05-21T11:31:14Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | certifi, python@3.14 |
| Bottle | available (on all) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | flit |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 7 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
flit 3.12.0-1
simple way to put Python packages and modules on PyPI (PEP 517)
https://flit.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
sudo apt install flit- Section: python
- Architecture: all
- 6 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Flit
Ubuntu apt95%
flit 3.9.0-2
simple way to put Python packages and modules on PyPI (PEP 517)
https://flit.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
sudo apt install flit- Section: universe/python
- Architecture: all
- 5 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Flit
dnf95%
flit 3.12.0-8.fc45
Simplified packaging of Python modules
sudo dnf install flit- License: BSD-3-Clause AND Apache-2.0 AND PSF-2.0
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: python-flit
- 3 dependencies
- 7 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Flit
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment