# Install flit with Homebrew, apt, dnf Simplified packaging of Python modules. Version 3.12.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-21. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:flit ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install flit ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install flit ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: flit from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install flit ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: flit from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:flit - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 3.12.0 - **Source summary:** Simplified packaging of Python modules - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-3-Clause - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-05-21T11:31:14Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - flit (cli) - flit (alias) ## Dependencies - certifi - python@3.14 ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on all ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 3.12.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-05-21 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/pypa/flit - info: No cached GitHub release or tag data was available. ## 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 Notes 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. ## 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 - Unix: pyproject.toml ## Credential files - Unix: ~/.pypirc ## 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:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - flit - 3.12.0-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: flit from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | simple way to put Python packages and modules on PyPI (PEP 517) | https://flit.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ - Ubuntu apt - flit - 3.9.0-2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: flit from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | simple way to put Python packages and modules on PyPI (PEP 517) | https://flit.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ - dnf - flit - 3.12.0-8.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: flit from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Simplified packaging of Python modules | https://flit.pypa.io/ ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Package publisher tools](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/package-publishers/) - Belongs to a package publishing or registry command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [python@3.14](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/python-3-14/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [abi3audit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/abi3audit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, packaging, python. - [hatch](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/hatch/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, packaging, python. - [pdm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pdm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, packaging, python. - [poetry](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/poetry/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, packaging, python. - [pyinstaller](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pyinstaller/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, packaging, python. - [pyoxidizer](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pyoxidizer/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, packaging, python. - [python-build](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/python-build/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, packaging, python. - [cargo-bundle](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-bundle/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, packaging. - [twine](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/twine/) - Both packages touch the same language runtime or ecosystem. Shared terms: certifi, cli, developer, developer-tools, packaging. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/flit.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/flit.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph