poetry-core
poetry-core is a lightweight build backend for Python. It implements the PEP 517 backend interface. This way, frontends like pip can build Poetry-managed projects into wheels and source distributions without installing the full Poetry application.
Installation and Setup
Install it from Python Package Index (PyPI) into your virtual environment:
(venv) $ python -m pip install poetry-core
Declare poetry-core in your pyproject.toml, then use any compliant frontend to build or install:
[build-system]
requires = ["poetry-core>=2.0.0,<3.0.0"]
build-backend = "poetry.core.masonry.api"
Key Features
- Implements the PEP 517 backend interface so tools like
pip,build, tox, and uv can build projects configured for Poetry without pulling in Poetry’s full dependency tree. - Produces wheels and sdists from
pyproject.toml, honoring Poetry settings, such as custom package discovery and include/exclude rules. - Works with standardized project metadata in
[project]while keeping Poetry-specific options under[tool.poetry].
Usage
Once the [build-system] section points to poetry-core, use a frontend to build or install. The backend is invoked automatically. Here’s an example with pip:
Related Resources
Tutorial
Dependency Management With Python Poetry
Learn how Python Poetry will help you start new projects, maintain existing ones, and master dependency management.
For additional information on related topics, take a look at the following resources:
- Using Python's pip to Manage Your Projects' Dependencies (Tutorial)
- Managing Python Projects With uv: An All-in-One Solution (Tutorial)
- uv vs pip: Managing Python Packages and Dependencies (Tutorial)
- Managing Dependencies With Python Poetry (Course)
- A Beginner's Guide to pip (Course)
- Using Python's pip to Manage Your Projects' Dependencies (Quiz)
- Python Project Management With uv (Course)
- Managing Python Projects With uv: An All-in-One Solution (Quiz)
- uv vs pip: Managing Python Packages and Dependencies (Quiz)
By Leodanis Pozo Ramos • Updated Dec. 15, 2025
