# Python standard library

13 Hacker News commenters recommended Python standard library and 7 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended for being broad, ubiquitous and built in, so many tasks need no extra packages. Caveat: some parts are obsolete, poorly designed or of mixed quality.

## Why people recommend it

- Broad, batteries-included coverage (7 comments): "Python's standard library comes already with lots of features, and there are many packages you can install." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46258115)) "I think that every language should have a batteries-included stdlib." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46261055)) "The python3 standard library is pretty capable, and it's ubiquitous." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46671036))
- Works without installing extra packages (2 comments): "Python's standard library comes already with lots of features, and there are many packages you can install." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46258115)) "I've had a lot of fun vibe coding my own text-based email client and reader using mostly Python's stdlib." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48269382))
- Reliable and long-established (2 comments): "The python3 standard library is pretty capable, and it's ubiquitous." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46671036)) "It has been viable for a long time" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396625))

## What people warn about

- Obsolete parts kept or slow to remove (2 comments): "Now the standard library is full of things that they refuse to remove because it would supposedly be too disruptive" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48525111)) "periodically has to throw out "dead batteries" because parts of its stdlib are now obsolete" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47887859))
- Uneven quality; some parts unusable (2 comments): "the quality is super mixed, and not all of them are suitable for real use" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46581403)) "large parts of Python's standard library that are effectively unusable or irrelevant" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49380831))
- Hard to learn; mediocre APIs (2 comments): "Python's in kinda huge and some are hard (for me) to grasp" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48418564)) "The Python standard library APIs are mediocre at best." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48743513))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Go standard library](https://hackerapproved.com/p/go-standard-library.md): 34 recommend
- [C++ Standard Library](https://hackerapproved.com/p/c-plus-plus-standard-library.md): 15 recommend
- [Rust standard library](https://hackerapproved.com/p/rust-standard-library.md): 12 recommend
- [Java standard library](https://hackerapproved.com/p/java-standard-library.md): 7 recommend
- [Micron C++ standard library](https://hackerapproved.com/p/micron.md): 5 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Python standard library", https://hackerapproved.com/p/python-standard-library/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).