PyVirtualSerialPorts

A Python implementation of virtual serial ports. Useful for developing and testing programs which need to talk to a serial port.

Example uses:

• Create a virtual port which echoes back any data sent to it.
• Create a two or more ports; sending data to one sends data to the others.

Has no dependencies other than the Python standard library.

Only works on *nix type systems. Tested on Debian Linux, but should work on others (macOS, BSD, etc.). For Windows, look at com0com or Virtual Serial Port Driver.

Installation

Current user

$ pip3 install PyVirtualSerialPorts

System-wide

$ sudo pip3 install PyVirtualSerialPorts

Running

If the script install folder is in your PATH (almost certainly the case if installed as root), you can simply run:

$ virtualserialports ...

Otherwise, you can use it as a module:

$ python3 -m virtualserialports ...

Usage

usage: virtualserialports [-h] [-l] [-d] num_ports

positional arguments:
  num_ports       number of ports to create

optional arguments:
  -h, --help      show this help message and exit
  -l, --loopback  echo data back to the sending device too
  -d, --debug     log received data to stderr

Examples

Create a single port, and echo back anything sent to it

$ virtualserialports -l 1

The created port will be printed on the command line e.g. /dev/pts/0, and can be used with any serial program, e.g. minicom:

$ minicom -D /dev/pts/0

Create a pair of ports, sending the data between them

$ virtualserialports 2

The two created ports will be printed, and again can be used with any serial program. E.g. in one terminal window:

$ minicom -D /dev/pts/0

and in a second:

$ minicom -D /dev/pts/1

Now typing data on one terminal will appear in the other.

Create three ports, sending data received from any of them to all three

$ virtualserialports -l 3

Use as a library

virtualserialports.run(num_ports, loopback=False, debug=False)

• num_ports: number of ports to create.
• loopback: whether to echo data back to the sender.
• debug: whether to print debugging info to stdout.

Example

import virtualserialports
virtualserialports.run(2, loopback=True, debug=False)