How to Install `paramiko` in Python

v4.0.0 General Purpose Python >=3.9

SSH2 protocol library

Install pip install paramiko

What is paramiko?

SSH2 protocol library

Paramiko is a pure-Python [#] implementation of the SSHv2 protocol [#], providing both client and server functionality. It provides the foundation for the high-level SSH library , which is what we recommend you use for common client use-cases such as running remote shell commands or transferring files.

Direct use of Paramiko itself is only intended for users who need advanced/low-level primitives or want to run an in-Python sshd.

For installation information, changelogs, FAQs and similar, please visit `our main project website the versioned docs `. Additionally, the project maintainer keeps a on his personal site.

PyPI page → Author: Jeff Forcier <jeff@bitprophet.org>

Quick Start

Minimal example to get started with paramiko:

import paramiko

print(paramiko.__version__)

Installation

pip (standard)

pip install paramiko

Virtual environment (recommended)

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate   # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install paramiko

pip3

pip3 install paramiko

conda

conda install -c conda-forge paramiko

Poetry

poetry add paramiko

Dependencies

Installing paramiko will also install these packages:

bcrypt cryptography invoke pynacl

Verify the Installation

After installing, confirm the package is available:

python -c "import paramiko; print(paramiko.__version__)"

If this prints a version number, installation succeeded. If you see a ModuleNotFoundError, see the errors section below.

Installation Errors

Common errors when installing paramiko with pip.

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'paramiko'

Cause: The package is not installed in the current Python environment.

Fix: Run pip install paramiko. If using a virtual environment, ensure it is activated first.

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'paramiko' (installed but still failing)

Cause: pip installed the package into a different Python than the one running your script.

Fix: Use python -m pip install paramiko to install into the interpreter you are running.

ImportError: cannot import name 'X' from 'paramiko'

Cause: The function or class does not exist in the installed version.

Fix: Check the version with pip show paramiko and upgrade with pip install --upgrade paramiko.

pip: command not found

Cause: pip is not in PATH or Python was not added to PATH during installation.

Fix: Try python -m pip install paramiko. On macOS/Linux try pip3.

PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied

Cause: No write access to the system Python package directory.

Fix: Use a virtual environment, or add --user: pip install --user paramiko

SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED

Cause: pip cannot verify PyPI's SSL certificate — common behind corporate proxies.

Fix: Try: pip install --trusted-host pypi.org --trusted-host files.pythonhosted.org paramiko

Recent Releases

Version	Released
`4.0.0` latest	2025-08-04
`3.5.1`	2025-02-04
`3.5.0`	2024-09-15
`3.3.2`	2024-08-11
`3.4.1`	2024-08-11

Full release history on PyPI →

Manage paramiko

Upgrade to latest version

pip install --upgrade paramiko

Install a specific version

pip install paramiko==4.0.0

Uninstall

pip uninstall paramiko

Check what is installed

pip show paramiko

Last updated: 2026-04-11 • Data from PyPI

How to Install paramiko in Python