# dronekit/dronekit-python

DroneKit-Python library for communicating with Drones via MAVLink.

Repository: https://github.com/dronekit/dronekit-python
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/dronekit-python
Homepage: https://readthedocs.org/projects/dronekit-python/
Language: Python
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2024-05-30T05:57:20+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 23/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4542, "days_push": 825, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1927, forks 1507 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:55.660254+00:00)

## What it is
DroneKit-Python is a Python library for communicating with UAVs (drones) over the MAVLink protocol. It provides programmatic access to vehicle telemetry, state, and parameters, and supports mission management and direct vehicle control from companion computers or ground stations.

## Use cases
- control a drone from a python script
- read drone telemetry over mavlink
- upload and run autonomous missions on a uav
- build companion computer apps for ardupilot vehicles
- simulate drone flight in sitl before flying
- monitor vehicle battery and gps state programmatically

## When to choose
- you need python access to an ardupilot or mavlink-compatible drone
- you're building onboard companion computer logic like computer vision or path planning
- you want a high-level vehicle API instead of raw mavlink messages

## When to avoid
- you need an actively maintained project with fast issue turnaround
- you're using PX4 or a non-ardupilot stack where MAVSDK may fit better
- you need a ground control station GUI rather than a programmatic API

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: maintenance
- function: sdk, developer-tools
- domain: robotics, autonomous-vehicles, developer-tools
- platform: python, windows, cross-platform
- tags: drones, uav, mavlink, ardupilot, companion-computer, telemetry, mission-planning, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- dronekit/dronekit-python (main) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:55.660254+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:09:09.449287+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/dronekit/dronekit-python (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:55.660254+00:00, sha 6e82cfe4f837)
  - homepage: https://readthedocs.org/projects/dronekit-python/ (fetched 2026-08-29T10:48:36.130490+00:00, sha d64a276880ff)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.