nipy/nibabel

Python package to access a cacophony of neuro-imaging file formats

Python

795

6,276 commits

updated Oct 8, 2026

See the code

README

.. -*- rest -*-
.. vim:syntax=rst

.. Use raw location to ensure image shows up on PyPI
.. image:: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nipy/nibabel/master/doc/pics/logo.png
   :target: https://nipy.org/nibabel
   :alt: NiBabel logo

.. list-table::
   :widths: 20 80
   :header-rows: 0

   * - Code
     -
      .. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/nibabel.svg
         :target: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/nibabel/
         :alt: PyPI - Python Version
      .. image:: https://img.shields.io/endpoint?url=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/astral-sh/ruff/main/assets/badge/v2.json
         :target: https://github.com/astral-sh/ruff
         :alt: Ruff
      .. image:: https://img.shields.io/badge/pre--commit-enabled-brightgreen?logo=pre-commit&logoColor=white
         :target: https://github.com/pre-commit/pre-commit
         :alt: pre-commit

   * - Tests
     -
      .. image:: https://github.com/nipy/NiBabel/actions/workflows/stable.yml/badge.svg
         :target: https://github.com/nipy/NiBabel/actions/workflows/stable.yml
         :alt: stable tests
      .. image:: https://codecov.io/gh/nipy/NiBabel/branch/master/graph/badge.svg
         :target: https://codecov.io/gh/nipy/NiBabel
         :alt: codecov badge

   * - PyPI
     -
      .. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/nibabel.svg
         :target: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/nibabel/
         :alt: PyPI version
      .. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/dm/nibabel.svg
         :target: https://pypistats.org/packages/nibabel
         :alt: PyPI - Downloads

   * - Packages
     -
      .. image:: https://img.shields.io/conda/vn/conda-forge/nibabel
         :target: https://anaconda.org/conda-forge/nibabel
         :alt: Conda package
      .. image:: https://repology.org/badge/version-for-repo/debian_unstable/nibabel.svg?header=Debian%20Unstable
         :target: https://repology.org/project/nibabel/versions
         :alt: Debian Unstable package
      .. image:: https://repology.org/badge/version-for-repo/aur/python:nibabel.svg?header=Arch%20%28%41%55%52%29
         :target: https://repology.org/project/python:nibabel/versions
         :alt: Arch (AUR)
      .. image:: https://repology.org/badge/version-for-repo/gentoo_ovl_science/nibabel.svg?header=Gentoo%20%28%3A%3Ascience%29
         :target: https://repology.org/project/nibabel/versions
         :alt: Gentoo (::science)
      .. image:: https://repology.org/badge/version-for-repo/nix_unstable/python:nibabel.svg?header=nixpkgs%20unstable
         :target: https://repology.org/project/python:nibabel/versions
         :alt: nixpkgs unstable

   * - License & DOI
     -
      .. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/l/nibabel.svg
         :target: https://github.com/nipy/nibabel/blob/master/COPYING
         :alt: License
      .. image:: https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.591597.svg
         :target: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.591597
         :alt: Zenodo DOI

.. Following contents should be copied from LONG_DESCRIPTION in nibabel/info.py


Read and write access to common neuroimaging file formats, including:
ANALYZE_ (plain, SPM99, SPM2 and later), GIFTI_, NIfTI1_, NIfTI2_, `CIFTI-2`_,
MINC1_, MINC2_, `AFNI BRIK/HEAD`_, ECAT_ and Philips PAR/REC.
In addition, NiBabel also supports FreeSurfer_'s MGH_, geometry, annotation and
morphometry files, and provides some limited support for DICOM_.

NiBabel's API gives full or selective access to header information (metadata),
and image data is made available via NumPy arrays. For more information, see
NiBabel's `documentation site`_ and `API reference`_.

.. _API reference: https://nipy.org/nibabel/api.html
.. _AFNI BRIK/HEAD: https://afni.nimh.nih.gov/pub/dist/src/README.attributes
.. _ANALYZE: http://www.grahamwideman.com/gw/brain/analyze/formatdoc.htm
.. _CIFTI-2: https://www.nitrc.org/projects/cifti/
.. _DICOM: http://medical.nema.org/
.. _documentation site: http://nipy.org/nibabel
.. _ECAT: http://xmedcon.sourceforge.net/Docs/Ecat
.. _Freesurfer: https://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
.. _GIFTI: https://www.nitrc.org/projects/gifti
.. _MGH: https://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/fswiki/FsTutorial/MghFormat
.. _MINC1:
    https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/MINC/Reference/MINC1_File_Format_Reference
.. _MINC2:
    https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/MINC/Reference/MINC2.0_File_Format_Reference
.. _NIfTI1: http://nifti.nimh.nih.gov/nifti-1/
.. _NIfTI2: http://nifti.nimh.nih.gov/nifti-2/

Installation
============

To install NiBabel's `current release`_ with ``pip``, run::

   pip install nibabel

To install the latest development version, run::

   pip install git+https://github.com/nipy/nibabel

When working on NiBabel itself, it may be useful to install in "editable" mode::

   git clone https://github.com/nipy/nibabel.git
   pip install -e ./nibabel

For more information on previous releases, see the `release archive`_ or
`development changelog`_.

.. _current release: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/NiBabel
.. _release archive: https://github.com/nipy/NiBabel/releases
.. _development changelog: https://nipy.org/nibabel/changelog.html

Testing
=======

During development, we recommend using tox_ to run nibabel tests::

    git clone https://github.com/nipy/nibabel.git
    cd nibabel
    tox

To test an installed version of nibabel, install the test dependencies
and run pytest_::

    pip install nibabel[test]
    pytest --pyargs nibabel

For more information, consult the `developer guidelines`_.

.. _tox: https://tox.wiki
.. _pytest: https://docs.pytest.org
.. _developer guidelines: https://nipy.org/nibabel/devel/devguide.html

Mailing List
============

Please send any questions or suggestions to the `neuroimaging mailing list
<https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/neuroimaging>`_.

License
=======

NiBabel is licensed under the terms of the `MIT license
<https://github.com/nipy/nibabel/blob/master/COPYING#nibabel>`__.
Some code included with NiBabel is licensed under the `BSD license`_.
For more information, please see the COPYING_ file.

.. _BSD license: https://opensource.org/licenses/BSD-3-Clause
.. _COPYING: https://github.com/nipy/nibabel/blob/master/COPYING

Citation
========

NiBabel releases have a Zenodo_ `Digital Object Identifier`_ (DOI) badge at
the top of the release notes. Click on the badge for more information.

.. _Digital Object Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier
.. _zenodo: https://zenodo.org

Not written in Markdown, so it's shown here as plain text — view it formatted on GitHub.

afni-brik-head
brain-imaging
cifti-2
data-formats
dicom
ecat
gifti
minc
neuroimaging
nifti
python
streamlines
tck
trk

nipy/nibabel

Python package to access a cacophony of neuro-imaging file formats

Python

795

6,276 commits

updated Oct 8, 2026

See the code

README

.. -*- rest -*-
.. vim:syntax=rst

.. Use raw location to ensure image shows up on PyPI
.. image:: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nipy/nibabel/master/doc/pics/logo.png
   :target: https://nipy.org/nibabel
   :alt: NiBabel logo

.. list-table::
   :widths: 20 80
   :header-rows: 0

   * - Code
     -
      .. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/nibabel.svg
         :target: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/nibabel/
         :alt: PyPI - Python Version
      .. image:: https://img.shields.io/endpoint?url=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/astral-sh/ruff/main/assets/badge/v2.json
         :target: https://github.com/astral-sh/ruff
         :alt: Ruff
      .. image:: https://img.shields.io/badge/pre--commit-enabled-brightgreen?logo=pre-commit&logoColor=white
         :target: https://github.com/pre-commit/pre-commit
         :alt: pre-commit

   * - Tests
     -
      .. image:: https://github.com/nipy/NiBabel/actions/workflows/stable.yml/badge.svg
         :target: https://github.com/nipy/NiBabel/actions/workflows/stable.yml
         :alt: stable tests
      .. image:: https://codecov.io/gh/nipy/NiBabel/branch/master/graph/badge.svg
         :target: https://codecov.io/gh/nipy/NiBabel
         :alt: codecov badge

   * - PyPI
     -
      .. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/nibabel.svg
         :target: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/nibabel/
         :alt: PyPI version
      .. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/dm/nibabel.svg
         :target: https://pypistats.org/packages/nibabel
         :alt: PyPI - Downloads

   * - Packages
     -
      .. image:: https://img.shields.io/conda/vn/conda-forge/nibabel
         :target: https://anaconda.org/conda-forge/nibabel
         :alt: Conda package
      .. image:: https://repology.org/badge/version-for-repo/debian_unstable/nibabel.svg?header=Debian%20Unstable
         :target: https://repology.org/project/nibabel/versions
         :alt: Debian Unstable package
      .. image:: https://repology.org/badge/version-for-repo/aur/python:nibabel.svg?header=Arch%20%28%41%55%52%29
         :target: https://repology.org/project/python:nibabel/versions
         :alt: Arch (AUR)
      .. image:: https://repology.org/badge/version-for-repo/gentoo_ovl_science/nibabel.svg?header=Gentoo%20%28%3A%3Ascience%29
         :target: https://repology.org/project/nibabel/versions
         :alt: Gentoo (::science)
      .. image:: https://repology.org/badge/version-for-repo/nix_unstable/python:nibabel.svg?header=nixpkgs%20unstable
         :target: https://repology.org/project/python:nibabel/versions
         :alt: nixpkgs unstable

   * - License & DOI
     -
      .. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/l/nibabel.svg
         :target: https://github.com/nipy/nibabel/blob/master/COPYING
         :alt: License
      .. image:: https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.591597.svg
         :target: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.591597
         :alt: Zenodo DOI

.. Following contents should be copied from LONG_DESCRIPTION in nibabel/info.py


Read and write access to common neuroimaging file formats, including:
ANALYZE_ (plain, SPM99, SPM2 and later), GIFTI_, NIfTI1_, NIfTI2_, `CIFTI-2`_,
MINC1_, MINC2_, `AFNI BRIK/HEAD`_, ECAT_ and Philips PAR/REC.
In addition, NiBabel also supports FreeSurfer_'s MGH_, geometry, annotation and
morphometry files, and provides some limited support for DICOM_.

NiBabel's API gives full or selective access to header information (metadata),
and image data is made available via NumPy arrays. For more information, see
NiBabel's `documentation site`_ and `API reference`_.

.. _API reference: https://nipy.org/nibabel/api.html
.. _AFNI BRIK/HEAD: https://afni.nimh.nih.gov/pub/dist/src/README.attributes
.. _ANALYZE: http://www.grahamwideman.com/gw/brain/analyze/formatdoc.htm
.. _CIFTI-2: https://www.nitrc.org/projects/cifti/
.. _DICOM: http://medical.nema.org/
.. _documentation site: http://nipy.org/nibabel
.. _ECAT: http://xmedcon.sourceforge.net/Docs/Ecat
.. _Freesurfer: https://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
.. _GIFTI: https://www.nitrc.org/projects/gifti
.. _MGH: https://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/fswiki/FsTutorial/MghFormat
.. _MINC1:
    https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/MINC/Reference/MINC1_File_Format_Reference
.. _MINC2:
    https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/MINC/Reference/MINC2.0_File_Format_Reference
.. _NIfTI1: http://nifti.nimh.nih.gov/nifti-1/
.. _NIfTI2: http://nifti.nimh.nih.gov/nifti-2/

Installation
============

To install NiBabel's `current release`_ with ``pip``, run::

   pip install nibabel

To install the latest development version, run::

   pip install git+https://github.com/nipy/nibabel

When working on NiBabel itself, it may be useful to install in "editable" mode::

   git clone https://github.com/nipy/nibabel.git
   pip install -e ./nibabel

For more information on previous releases, see the `release archive`_ or
`development changelog`_.

.. _current release: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/NiBabel
.. _release archive: https://github.com/nipy/NiBabel/releases
.. _development changelog: https://nipy.org/nibabel/changelog.html

Testing
=======

During development, we recommend using tox_ to run nibabel tests::

    git clone https://github.com/nipy/nibabel.git
    cd nibabel
    tox

To test an installed version of nibabel, install the test dependencies
and run pytest_::

    pip install nibabel[test]
    pytest --pyargs nibabel

For more information, consult the `developer guidelines`_.

.. _tox: https://tox.wiki
.. _pytest: https://docs.pytest.org
.. _developer guidelines: https://nipy.org/nibabel/devel/devguide.html

Mailing List
============

Please send any questions or suggestions to the `neuroimaging mailing list
<https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/neuroimaging>`_.

License
=======

NiBabel is licensed under the terms of the `MIT license
<https://github.com/nipy/nibabel/blob/master/COPYING#nibabel>`__.
Some code included with NiBabel is licensed under the `BSD license`_.
For more information, please see the COPYING_ file.

.. _BSD license: https://opensource.org/licenses/BSD-3-Clause
.. _COPYING: https://github.com/nipy/nibabel/blob/master/COPYING

Citation
========

NiBabel releases have a Zenodo_ `Digital Object Identifier`_ (DOI) badge at
the top of the release notes. Click on the badge for more information.

.. _Digital Object Identifier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier
.. _zenodo: https://zenodo.org

Not written in Markdown, so it's shown here as plain text — view it formatted on GitHub.

afni-brik-head
brain-imaging
cifti-2
data-formats
dicom
ecat
gifti
minc
neuroimaging
nifti
python
streamlines
tck
trk

Project health

Overall

6.0/10

Maintained

10/10

Code review

6/10
OpenSSF Scorecard

Latest release

5.4.2 · Mar 11, 2026

Releases this year

3

Significant stargazers

luzpaz

277 followers · starred Jan 2025

Len Boyette

67 followers · starred Jan 2023

Ethan Chiu

124 followers · starred Apr 2020

Stephen Polcyn

8 followers · starred Oct 2020