guestfs-python(3)

📦
version 1.61.3 · 14 versions
, in centos-stream 10

💅 guestfs-python — how to use libguestfs from Python

okay bestie, so this is the libguestfs Python manual page (that's the guestfs-python(3) page, in case you were wondering) and it's literally about calling libguestfs straight from Python ✨. It doesn't re-teach you the whole C API — it just documents the differences and hands you some examples. If you've never touched libguestfs before, you also need to read guestfs(3) first, no cap 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

guestfs-python — How to use libguestfs from Python 💖

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

import guestfs
g = guestfs.GuestFS(python_return_dict=True)
g.add_drive_opts("disk.img", format="raw", readonly=1)
g.launch()

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

This page documents how to call libguestfs from the Python programming language 🐍. It just documents the differences from the C API and gives some examples. If you're not familiar with using libguestfs, you also need to read guestfs(3), periodt.

🎀 python_return_dict=True 🎀

All new code should construct the handle using:

g = guestfs.GuestFS(python_return_dict=True)

This indicates that your program wants to receive Python dicts for methods in the API that return hashtables 🗂️. Obsessed, honestly.

In a future version of libguestfs, this will become the default. So like, get on board now 💅

💀 EXCEPTIONS 💀

Errors from libguestfs functions are mapped into "RuntimeError" with a single string argument which is the error message. That's the whole vibe check on errors — one arg, the message, done 😭

🔥 MORE DOCUMENTATION 🔥

Type:

$ python
>>> import guestfs
>>> help(guestfs)

like, that's it, that's the tip 🧚

👑 USING PYTHON BINDINGS IN A VIRTUALENV 👑

These bindings are not available in pypi owing to a licensing problem. See https://bugzilla.redhat.com/1075594 for current status 🫠

However we do publish a Python distribution for selected stable versions of libguestfs in http://libguestfs.org/download/python. You can use it like this:

pip install http://libguestfs.org/download/python/guestfs-1.XX.YY.tar.gz

⭐ EXAMPLE 1: CREATE A DISK IMAGE ⭐

# Example showing how to create a disk image.

import guestfs

output = "disk.img"

# All new Python code should pass python_return_dict=True
# to the constructor.  It indicates that your program wants
# to receive Python dicts for methods in the API that return
# hashtables.
g = guestfs.GuestFS(python_return_dict=True)

# Create a raw-format sparse disk image, 512 MB in size.
g.disk_create(output, "raw", 512 * 1024 * 1024)

# Set the trace flag so that we can see each libguestfs call.
g.set_trace(1)

# Attach the disk image to libguestfs.
g.add_drive_opts(output, format="raw", readonly=0)

# Run the libguestfs back-end.
g.launch()

# Get the list of devices.  Because we only added one drive
# above, we expect that this list should contain a single
# element.
devices = g.list_devices()
assert (len(devices) == 1)

# Partition the disk as one single MBR partition.
g.part_disk(devices[0], "mbr")

# Get the list of partitions.  We expect a single element, which
# is the partition we have just created.
partitions = g.list_partitions()
assert (len(partitions) == 1)

# Create a filesystem on the partition.
g.mkfs("ext4", partitions[0])

# Now mount the filesystem so that we can add files.
g.mount(partitions[0], "/")

# Create some files and directories.
g.touch("/empty")
message = "Hello, world\n"
g.write("/hello", message)
g.mkdir("/foo")

# This one uploads the local file /etc/resolv.conf into
# the disk image.
g.upload("/etc/resolv.conf", "/foo/resolv.conf")

# Because we wrote to the disk and we want to detect write
# errors, call g.shutdown.  You don't need to do this:
# g.close will do it implicitly.
g.shutdown()

# Note also that handles are automatically closed if they are
# reaped by reference counting.  You only need to call close
# if you want to close the handle right away.
g.close()

🌈 EXAMPLE 2: INSPECT A VIRTUAL MACHINE DISK IMAGE 🌈

# Example showing how to inspect a virtual machine disk.

import sys
import guestfs

if len(sys.argv) < 2:
    print("inspect_vm: missing disk image to inspect", file=sys.stderr)
    sys.exit(1)
disk = sys.argv[1]

# All new Python code should pass python_return_dict=True
# to the constructor.  It indicates that your program wants
# to receive Python dicts for methods in the API that return
# hashtables.
g = guestfs.GuestFS(python_return_dict=True)

# Attach the disk image read-only to libguestfs.
g.add_drive_opts(disk, readonly=1)

# Run the libguestfs back-end.
g.launch()

# Ask libguestfs to inspect for operating systems.
roots = g.inspect_os()
if len(roots) == 0:
    print("inspect_vm: no operating systems found", file=sys.stderr)
    sys.exit(1)

for root in roots:
    print("Root device: %s" % root)

    # Print basic information about the operating system.
    print("  Product name: %s" % (g.inspect_get_product_name(root)))
    print("  Version:      %d.%d" %
          (g.inspect_get_major_version(root),
           g.inspect_get_minor_version(root)))
    print("  Type:         %s" % (g.inspect_get_type(root)))
    print("  Distro:       %s" % (g.inspect_get_distro(root)))

    # Mount up the disks, like guestfish -i.
    #
    # Sort keys by length, shortest first, so that we end up
    # mounting the filesystems in the correct order.
    mps = g.inspect_get_mountpoints(root)
    for device, mp in sorted(mps.items(), key=lambda k: len(k[0])):
        try:
            g.mount_ro(mp, device)
        except RuntimeError as msg:
            print("%s (ignored)" % msg)

    # If /etc/issue.net file exists, print up to 3 lines.
    filename = "/etc/issue.net"
    if g.is_file(filename):
        print("--- %s ---" % filename)
        lines = g.head_n(3, filename)
        for line in lines:
            print(line)

    # Unmount everything.
    g.umount_all()

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

💜 AUTHORS 💜

Richard W.M. Jones ("rjones at redhat dot com") — icon, legend, the moment 👑

Copyright (C) 2010-2025 Red Hat Inc.

🌸 LICENSE 🌸

This manual page contains examples which we hope you will use in your programs. The examples may be freely copied, modified and distributed for any purpose without any restrictions. Slay, honestly — take them, they're yours 🫶

🙈 BUGS 🙈

To get a list of bugs against libguestfs, use this link:

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/buglist.cgi?component=libguestfs&product=Virtualization+Tools

To report a new bug against libguestfs, use this link:

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/enter_bug.cgi?component=libguestfs&product=Virtualization+Tools

When reporting a bug, please supply:

  • The version of libguestfs.
  • Where you got libguestfs (eg. which Linux distro, compiled from source, etc)
  • Describe the bug accurately and give a way to reproduce it.
  • Run libguestfs-test-tool(1) and paste the complete, unedited output into the bug report.
fr fr, paste the complete, unedited output — don't be out here trimming it, the maintainers need the whole thing 😭

and that's the page bestie 💅 this was libguestfs-1.61.3, dated 2026-09-16, and it's the guestfs-python(3) page — go forth and launch() responsibly 🎀✨🦋

📦 where this page comes from