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pkg_resources Deprecation and Migration Guide

Background​

As of setuptools 81.0.0 (scheduled for removal around 2025-11-30), the pkg_resources API is deprecated and will be removed. This affects several packages in the Python ecosystem.

Current Status​

Superset Codebase ✅​

The Superset codebase has already migrated away from pkg_resources to the modern importlib.metadata API:

  • superset/db_engine_specs/__init__.py:36 - Uses from importlib.metadata import entry_points
  • All entry point loading uses the modern API

Production Dependencies ⚠️​

Some third-party dependencies may still use pkg_resources:

  • clients package (Preset-specific): Uses pkg_resources in const.py
  • Error path: /usr/local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/clients/const.py:1

Migration Path​

Short-term Solution (Current)​

Pin setuptools to version 80.x to prevent breaking changes:

# requirements/base.in
setuptools<81

This prevents the removal of pkg_resources while dependent packages are updated.

Long-term Solution​

Update all dependencies to use importlib.metadata instead of pkg_resources:

Migration Example​

Old (deprecated):

import pkg_resources

version = pkg_resources.get_distribution("package_name").version
entry_points = pkg_resources.iter_entry_points("group_name")

New (recommended):

from importlib.metadata import version, entry_points

pkg_version = version("package_name")
eps = entry_points(group="group_name")

Action Items​

For Preset Team​

  1. Update clients package to use importlib.metadata instead of pkg_resources
  2. Review other internal packages for pkg_resources usage
  3. Test with setuptools >= 81.0.0 once all packages are migrated
  4. Monitor Datadog logs for similar deprecation warnings

For Superset Maintainers​

  1. ✅ Already using importlib.metadata
  2. Monitor third-party dependencies for updates
  3. Update setuptools pin once ecosystem is ready

Timeline​

  • 2025-11-30: Expected removal of pkg_resources from setuptools
  • Before then: All dependencies must migrate to importlib.metadata

References​

Monitoring​

Track this issue in production using Datadog:

  • Warning pattern: pkg_resources is deprecated as an API
  • Component: @component:app
  • Environment: environment:production