This PEP proposes variant wheels, an extension to packaging:specifications/binary-distribution-format that permits building multiple variants of the same package while embedding additional compatibility data. The specific properties are stored inside the wheel, and expressed via a human-readable variant label in the filename, which is then mapped to the actual properties via a separately hosted JSON mapping. This aims to make {tool} install {package} capable of selecting the most appropriate variant of packages where additional compatibility dimensions such as GPU support need to be accounted for.
PEP 825: Wheel Variants: Package Format
calendar_today
February 17, 2026
person
Jonathan Dekhtiar (jonathan@dekhtiar.com), Michał Górny (mgorny@quansight.com), Konstantin Schütze (konstin@mailbox.org), Ralf Gommers (ralf.gommers@gmail.com), Andrey Talman (atalman@meta.com), Charlie Marsh (charlie@astral.sh), Michael Sarahan (msarahan@gmail.com), Eli Uriegas (eliuriegas@meta.com), Barry Warsaw (barry@python.org), Donald Stufft (donald@stufft.io), Andy R. Terrel (andy.terrel@gmail.com)
domain
python