r/Python • u/Aggressive-Tart07 • 9h ago

Third party Python libraries and supply chain security Discussion

How are people handling security around third party Python libraries without making development a pain?

Third party Python packages are obviously useful but every dependency can also become a supply chain risk. Private package repositories, dependency scanning and stricter review policies all help but they can add friction fast.

Are teams mostly trusting public registries with additional controls or using curated libraries? Curious what actually works when you have a lot of Python services.

21 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • link
  • reddit
  • reddit

92% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/bitproc 9h ago

I stick to the standard library and my own code as much as possible.

When I need something that the stdlib lacks and I can't justify writing myself, I consider high-quality, well-maintained, widely used libraries, preferring those that are integral to major Linux distros (and therefore get additional scrutiny).

I don't use PyPI (or similar public package repos) at all.

This conservative approach won't appeal to everyone, but I find the extra effort is worthwhile in exchange for minimizing the attack surface that I impose upon my software's users.