rdflib

library7.6.0pypypi✓ verified 29d ago

RDFLib is a Python library for working with RDF (Resource Description Framework), a simple yet powerful language for representing information. It provides a Graph data structure, parsers and serializers for various RDF formats (e.g., Turtle, N-Triples, RDF/XML, JSON-LD), and SPARQL query capabilities. RDFLib is actively maintained with frequent minor releases and major versions typically every 1-2 years.

serialization database

pip install rdflib

github ↗package ↗homepage ↗docs ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · RDFLIB

rdflib

serializationpythonv7.6.0

Install

2.3s avg

Import

300ms

Disk

26MB

Pass rate

10/ 10

Env Coverage10 / 10

glibc

3.9–3.13

musl

3.9–3.13

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v7.6.0 · 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

py 3.10–3.910 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 0.0s · import 0.320s · 27.2MB

glibc

py 3.10–3.910 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 2.3s · import 0.280s · 28MB

26MB installed

● package 26MB

Code

Verified usage

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

Graph

✓ from rdflib import Graph

Namespace

✓ from rdflib import Namespace

URIRef

✓ from rdflib import URIRef

BNode

✓ from rdflib import BNode

Literal

✓ from rdflib import Literal

FOAF

✓ from rdflib.namespace import FOAF

✗ from rdflib import FOAF

Commonly used namespaces like FOAF, RDFS, RDF, XSD are found in `rdflib.namespace`.

This quickstart demonstrates how to create an RDF Graph, define namespaces, add triples using URIRef, BNode, and Literal, and serialize the graph to the Turtle format. It's a fundamental example of how to represent and manage RDF data programmatically.

from rdflib import Graph, Literal, Namespace, URIRef from rdflib.namespace import FOAF, XSD # Create a Graph g = Graph() # Define a custom namespace EX = Namespace("http://example.org/people/") # Create URIs for resources john = EX.johnDoe jane = EX.janeDoe # Add triples to the graph g.add((john, FOAF.name, Literal("John Doe"))) g.add((john, FOAF.mbox, URIRef("mailto:john.doe@example.org"))) g.add((john, FOAF.age, Literal(30, datatype=XSD.integer))) g.add((jane, FOAF.name, Literal("Jane Doe"))) g.add((jane, FOAF.age, Literal(25, datatype=XSD.integer))) # Serialize the graph to Turtle format and print it print(g.serialize(format="turtle")) # You can also parse from a file or string # g.parse("path/to/my_data.ttl", format="turtle")

rdfpipe --version

Debug

Known issues

breakingThe handling of the `publicID` parameter in `Graph.parse` and `Dataset.parse` methods changed in version 7.0.0. It now explicitly sets the base URI for parsing, potentially altering how relative URIs are resolved in some cases.

fix

Review calls to `Graph.parse` or `Dataset.parse` that use `publicID`. If your data contains relative URIs, ensure the `publicID` is correctly set to define the base URI, or use `base` parameter explicitly if appropriate.

affects: >=7.0.0

deprecatedSeveral methods and attributes of the `Dataset` class have been deprecated in version 7.3.0 and are scheduled for removal in the next major release (likely 8.0.0). This aims to improve consistency and align `Dataset` more closely with RDF specifications.

fix

Consult the RDFLib documentation for `Dataset` to identify deprecated methods and their recommended alternatives. Update your code to use the newer, more consistent API to avoid breakage in future major versions.

affects: >=7.3.0

gotchaMany parsers, serializers, and advanced features (e.g., SPARQL, JSON-LD, HTML5 parsing, specific datatype handling) rely on optional dependencies that are not installed by default. Without them, you might encounter `ImportError` or incomplete functionality.

fix

Install RDFLib with the necessary extras, e.g., `pip install "rdflib[json-ld,sparql,isodate,lxml,rdf4j,graphdb]"`, or install individual missing packages as needed (e.g., `pip install isodate`). Refer to the documentation for specific feature requirements.

affects: All versions

gotchaPython 3.8 support was temporarily removed in version 7.1.2 and then re-added in 7.1.3 due to a typing-related regression. Users on specific patch versions of 7.1.x might experience unexpected behavior or installation issues on Python 3.8.

fix

Ensure you are using RDFLib >= 7.1.3 if you target Python 3.8. It's generally recommended to use the latest patch release for your major version.

affects: 7.1.2

Errors

Common errors & fixes

rdflib.exceptions.ParserError: Error parsing RDF

The input data (string or file) provided to the `Graph.parse()` method is not valid RDF in the specified format, or the format was incorrectly identified.

fix

Ensure your RDF input string or file strictly adheres to the specified RDF format (e.g., Turtle, N-Triples, RDF/XML, JSON-LD) and is well-formed. Double-check the `format` argument passed to `g.parse()`.

rdflib.plugins.sparql.parser.ParseError: Expected {SelectQuery, ConstructQuery, DescribeQuery, AskQuery}

The SPARQL query string provided to `Graph.query()` has a syntax error and cannot be parsed by RDFLib's SPARQL engine.

fix

Review and correct the syntax of your SPARQL query to ensure it conforms to the SPARQL 1.1 grammar. Common mistakes include missing keywords (like `SELECT` or `WHERE`), incorrect curly brace placement, or malformed prefixes.

TypeError: can only concatenate str (not URIRef) to str

You are attempting to concatenate an `rdflib.URIRef` (or `Literal`, `BNode`) object directly with a Python string without explicitly converting the RDFLib object to a string first.

fix

Convert the `URIRef` or `Literal` object to a string using `str()` before concatenating it with other strings, or use f-strings which handle conversion automatically.

ImportError: 'pyld' must be installed to use JSON-LD serialiser/parser

RDFLib uses the external `pyld` library for JSON-LD parsing and serialization, but this dependency is not installed in your Python environment.

fix

Install the `pyld` package using pip: `pip install pyld`. If you also need other optional parsers/serializers, check their respective documentation for required dependencies.

Upgrade

Version history

7.6.0latest on PyPI · released Feb 13, 2026

Audit

Dependencies

isodateoptionalRequired for parsing and serializing XSD date/time literals.

lxmloptionalRequired for faster RDF/XML parsing and validation, and for some XML-based serialization formats.

html5rdfoptionalRequired for parsing RDF embedded in HTML using RDFa or Microdata.

pyparsingoptionalUsed for SPARQL parsing. Often installed as a transitive dependency.

rdflib-jsonldoptionalProvides JSON-LD parsing and serialization support.

rdflib-sparqlstoreoptionalEnables connection to remote SPARQL endpoints as an RDFLib Store.

rdf4j-clientoptionalEnables integration with RDF4J servers and stores (introduced in 7.5.0).

graphdb-clientoptionalEnables integration with GraphDB instances (introduced in 7.6.0).

Agent activity

3 hits · last 30 days

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Resources

githubhttps://github.com/RDFLib/rdflib ↗

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

homepagehttps://rdflib.dev ↗

docshttps://rdflib.readthedocs.org/ ↗