Sorted Containers

2.4.0 verified Tue May 12 auth: no python install: verified quickstart: verified

A pure-Python library providing fast and easy-to-use implementations of SortedList, SortedDict, and SortedSet data types. Current version: 2.4.0. Release cadence: approximately every 87 days. ([python.libhunt.com](https://python.libhunt.com/sorted_containers-changelog?utm_source=openai))

pip install sortedcontainers

Common errors

error ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'sortedcontainers' ↓

cause The `sortedcontainers` library has not been installed in the current Python environment.

fix

pip install sortedcontainers

error AttributeError: 'SortedList' object has no attribute 'append' ↓

cause `SortedList` uses `add()` and `update()` methods to maintain sorted order, unlike standard Python lists which use `append()`.

fix

my_sorted_list.add(element)

error TypeError: unhashable type: 'list' ↓

cause `SortedSet` requires its elements to be hashable (like tuples or numbers), but an unhashable type such as a list was provided.

fix

Convert unhashable elements to a hashable type (e.g., tuple()) before adding them to the SortedSet.

error TypeError: '>' not supported between instances of 'dict' and 'dict' ↓

cause Elements in a `SortedList` or keys in a `SortedDict` must be comparable, but the provided types (e.g., dictionaries or custom objects without comparison methods) do not have a default ordering.

fix

Define comparison methods (__lt__, __gt__) for custom objects, or provide a key function to the SortedList or SortedDict constructor to specify how elements should be ordered (e.g., SortedList(key=lambda x: x['id'])).

Warnings

breaking In version 2.4.0, SortedDict methods 'or', 'ror', and 'ior' were implemented per PEP 584. Ensure compatibility with existing codebases before upgrading. ↓

fix Review and update codebases to accommodate the new methods in SortedDict.

deprecated The 'iloc' attribute in SortedDict is deprecated. Use 'SortedDict.keys()' instead. ↓

fix Replace usage of 'iloc' with 'keys()' in SortedDict.

Install compatibility verified last tested: 2026-05-12

python os / libc status wheel install import disk

3.10 alpine (musl) - - 0.01s 18.0M

3.10 slim (glibc) - - 0.01s 19M

3.11 alpine (musl) - - 0.02s 19.9M

3.11 slim (glibc) - - 0.01s 20M

3.12 alpine (musl) - - 0.01s 11.8M

3.12 slim (glibc) - - 0.01s 12M

3.13 alpine (musl) - - 0.01s 11.4M

3.13 slim (glibc) - - 0.01s 12M

3.9 alpine (musl) - - 0.01s 17.5M

3.9 slim (glibc) - - 0.01s 18M

Imports

SortedList
```
from sortedcontainers import SortedList
```
Correct import path for SortedList.
SortedDict
```
from sortedcontainers import SortedDict
```
Correct import path for SortedDict.
SortedSet
```
from sortedcontainers import SortedSet
```
Correct import path for SortedSet.

Quickstart verified last tested: 2026-04-23

A quickstart guide demonstrating the usage of SortedList, SortedDict, and SortedSet from the sortedcontainers library.

from sortedcontainers import SortedList, SortedDict, SortedSet

# SortedList
sl = SortedList(['e', 'a', 'c', 'd', 'b'])
print(sl)  # Output: SortedList(['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e'])

# SortedDict
sd = SortedDict({'c': -3, 'a': 1, 'b': 2})
print(sd)  # Output: SortedDict({'a': 1, 'b': 2, 'c': -3})

# SortedSet
ss = SortedSet([5, 4, 3, 2, 1])
print(ss)  # Output: SortedSet([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])

# Adding elements
sl.add('f')
print(sl)  # Output: SortedList(['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f'])

# Removing elements
sl.remove('a')
print(sl)  # Output: SortedList(['b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f'])

# Accessing elements
print(sl[0])  # Output: 'b'
print(sl[-1])  # Output: 'f'