setuptools
Extensible Python build backend with C/C++ extension module and packaging support.
Used in agent projects
67
0.5% of 12,697 public repos built with AI coding agents
Rank in build tools and bundlers
#31 of 81
by use in those projects
Downloads
225M
PyPI, last 7 days, setuptools
GitHub stars
2,864
last push Sep 10, 2026
How setuptools is used
setuptools is a dependency in 67 of the 12,697 public GitHub projects set up for AI coding agents that we scanned (0.5%), #31 of 81 in build tools and bundlers. The most used alternative there is Vite. Projects that use it most often also use Requests (68.7%), python-dotenv (59.7%), NumPy (53.7%).
Often used with setuptools
| Requests | 68.7% of setuptools projects · 12.9× more than average |
|---|---|
| python-dotenv | 59.7% of setuptools projects · 9.2× more than average |
| NumPy | 53.7% of setuptools projects · 14.0× more than average |
| urllib3 | 52.2% of setuptools projects · 34.4× more than average |
| AnyIO | 49.3% of setuptools projects · 33.6× more than average |
| packaging | 47.8% of setuptools projects · 42.1× more than average |
| websockets | 46.3% of setuptools projects · 20.5× more than average |
By coding agent
| GitHub Copilot | 0.9% of projects set up for it |
|---|---|
| Claude Code | 0.8% of projects set up for it |
| Cursor | 0.6% of projects set up for it |
Share of public repos configured for each agent that list setuptools as a dependency.
Install
| Package | pip install setuptools |
|---|---|
| Main stacks | Python (64), Next.js (3) |
| Example projects | daydreamlive/DEMON, pavelzbornik/whisperX-FastAPI, XargonWan/Synthetic_Heart, henrytirla/Solana-PNL-Bot, ericrosenberg1/CityBot2 |
Alternatives to setuptools
| Tool | Used in agent projects | Downloads / wk | GitHub stars | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vite npm Fast native-ESM powered web development build tool and dev server. |
2,897 (22.8%) | 194M | 83.3K | MIT |
| Babel (JavaScript) npm JavaScript compiler for transforming modern JavaScript to compatible code. |
484 (3.8%) | 187M | 44.1K | MIT |
| Turborepo npm High-performance build system for monorepos with task parallelization. |
399 (3.1%) | 29.5M | 31.2K | MIT |
| esbuild npm Extremely fast JavaScript and CSS bundler and minifier written in Go. |
342 (2.7%) | 3M | 40.1K | MIT |
| webpack npm Module bundler that packages JavaScript, assets and dependencies for browser deployment. |
255 (2.0%) | 54.9M | 66.1K | MIT |
| react-scripts npm Build configuration and scripts for Create React App zero-configuration setup. |
231 (1.8%) | 2.4M | 103K | MIT |
| React Compiler Babel Plugin npm Babel plugin for React Compiler that optimizes React component rendering. |
202 (1.6%) | 17.8M | 251K | MIT |
| webpack CLI npm Command-line interface for webpack bundler and related build tools. |
201 (1.6%) | 10.4M | 2,617 | MIT |