gdsfactory

library9.44.0pypypi✓ verified 86d ago

gdsfactory is a Python library for generating GDS layouts, primarily used in photonics and electronics design. It provides a robust framework for creating parametric cells, routing, and packaging complex circuits into GDSII format. The current version is 9.40.1, and it maintains a rapid release cadence with frequent updates and new features.

serialization data devops

pip install gdsfactory

package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · GDSFACTORY

gdsfactory

serializationpythonv9.44.0

Install

18.7s avg

Import

7180ms

Disk

742MB

Pass rate

7/ 10

Env Coverage7 / 10

glibc

3.9–3.13

musl

3.9–3.13

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v9.44.0 · pip install

no network on importno background threads

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

glibc

py 3.10

✕ build_error

py 3.11

✓ 0.1s

✓ 36.65s

py 3.12

✓ 0.1s

✓ 33.85s

py 3.13

✓ 0.1s

✓ 33.7s

py 3.9

✕ build_error

✓ 26.2s

742MB installed

● package 742MB

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

gdsfactory

✓ import gdsfactory as gf

Component

✓ from gdsfactory import Component

✗ from gdsfactory.component import Component

The Component class moved to the top-level namespace from `gdsfactory.component` in earlier versions.

This quickstart demonstrates how to create a basic GDSFactory component, add a standard straight waveguide, and export it to a GDSII file. Ensure you have GDSFactory installed before running.

import gdsfactory as gf # Create a new component c = gf.Component("my_first_device") # Add a straight waveguide to the component waveguide = c << gf.components.straight(length=10, width=0.5) # Optionally, rotate the waveguide waveguide.rotate(45) # Write the component to a GDSII file c.write_gds("my_first_device.gds") print(f"Generated GDS file: {c.name}.gds")

Debug

Known issues

breakingGDSFactory v9+ has a strict dependency on Pydantic v2. If your project uses Pydantic v1 for other purposes, you may encounter compatibility errors due to API changes between Pydantic versions.

fix

Ensure your environment has `pydantic>=2.0.0,<3.0.0` installed. If you have custom Pydantic models, they might need migration to Pydantic v2 syntax.

affects: 9.0.0+

deprecatedThe method `Component.add_ref()` is deprecated. The preferred and more idiomatic way to add references to a component is now `parent_component << child_component`.

fix

Replace `c.add_ref(my_component)` with `c << my_component` for cleaner and more Pythonic code.

affects: 9.0.0+

gotchaUsing `gf.show()` or `component.show()` to visualize GDS layouts requires Klayout to be installed and properly configured in your system's PATH, or by setting the `GDSFACTORY_KLAYOUT_PATH` environment variable. Without this, the `show()` function may fail to open the GDS viewer.

fix

Install Klayout (a free GDS viewer) and add its executable directory to your system's PATH. Alternatively, set an environment variable `GDSFACTORY_KLAYOUT_PATH` to the full path of the Klayout executable.

affects: All versions

Errors

Common errors & fixes

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'gdsfactory'

The `gdsfactory` package is not installed in the active Python environment.

fix

Install the package using pip: `pip install gdsfactory`. Ensure your IDE or script uses the correct Python interpreter where it's installed.

ImportError: cannot import name 'Component' from 'gdsfactory.component'

This import path was common in older GDSFactory versions (e.g., pre-v7). In current versions, `Component` is directly available from the top-level `gdsfactory` module.

fix

Change `from gdsfactory.component import Component` to `from gdsfactory import Component` or, more commonly, use `import gdsfactory as gf` and access it via `gf.Component`.

TypeError: __init__() got an unexpected keyword argument 'name'

This error often indicates a Pydantic version incompatibility. GDSFactory v9+ requires Pydantic v2, but Pydantic v1 might be installed in your environment, leading to API mismatches during object initialization.

fix

Upgrade Pydantic to version 2: `pip install "pydantic>=2.0.0,<3.0.0"`. Verify that any custom Pydantic models you use are compatible with Pydantic v2.

Upgrade

Version history

9.44.0latest on PyPI · released Jun 12, 2026

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

8 hits · last 30 days

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Resources

packagehttps://pypi.org/project/gdsfactory/ ↗

homepagehttps://gdsfactory.io ↗