tempfile — Generate temporary files and directories

The tempfile module generates temporary files and directories. It works securely on all supported platforms, ensuring that only the creating user ID can read or write the temporary files.

The best way to use this module is via context managers (with statements), as they guarantee that the temporary file or directory is automatically destroyed when you're done.

import tempfile

Temporary Directories

A common use case is pulling data from a network, working on it, and then cleaning it up.

import tempfile
import pathlib

# Creates the directory and securely removes it at the end of the block
with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as temp_dir:
    print(f"Created temporary directory: {temp_dir}")
    
    # You can perform standard file operations inside this folder
    path = pathlib.Path(temp_dir) / 'test.txt'
    path.write_text("Secret processing data")
    
print("Directory and all its contents have been deleted.")

Temporary Files

You can create an anonymous, temporary file that can be read and written, and deletes itself when closed.

import tempfile

# SpooledTemporaryFile keeps data in RAM until max_size is breached,
# then falls back to physical disk.
with tempfile.SpooledTemporaryFile(max_size=1024, mode='w+') as tf:
    tf.write("Hello World\n")
    tf.seek(0) # Rewind the reader back to the start!
    print(tf.read())

API Reference

Context Managers / Core Classes

Utilities