# linkedin/shiv

shiv is a command line utility for building fully self contained Python zipapps as outlined in PEP 441, but with all their dependencies included.

Repository: https://github.com/linkedin/shiv
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/shiv
Language: Python
License: BSD-2-Clause
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-05-22T00:45:54+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 71/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 83, release rhythm 40, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3095, "days_push": 104, "days_rel": 670, "gap_med": 16, "n_releases_24m": 2}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1946, forks 113 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:57.783042+00:00)

## What it is
shiv is a command line utility from LinkedIn for building fully self-contained Python zipapps (PEP 441) with all dependencies bundled into a single executable file. It wraps pip-installed packages into distributable .pyz executables that run anywhere a compatible Python interpreter exists.

## Use cases
- package a python cli tool into a single executable
- distribute a python app without asking users to pip install
- build a self-contained zipapp with dependencies included
- create a portable flake8 executable
- ship python scripts to machines without virtualenvs
- bundle a python program into one file for deployment

## When to choose
- you want to distribute a Python application as a single file with dependencies bundled
- target machines have Python installed but you cannot use pip or virtualenvs
- you want a lightweight alternative to PyInstaller without bundling an interpreter

## When to avoid
- you need a truly standalone binary that works without Python installed
- you need compiled C extensions to work reliably across platforms
- you want to freeze an app into a native executable like PyInstaller or Nuitka provides

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: cli, package-manager, build-tool, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools
- platform: windows, python, cli, cross-platform
- tags: zipapp, pep-441, packaging, python-packaging, self-contained-executables, distribution, command-line, automation, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- linkedin/shiv (main) score 71

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:57.783042+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 2026-08-30T03:07:20.491820+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/linkedin/shiv (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:57.783042+00:00, sha 2345a81ba500)
  - registry_pypi: https://pypi.org/pypi/shiv/json (fetched 2026-08-29T10:46:51.010158+00:00, sha 363fe0613558)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.