---
url: https://peter-gy.github.io/refkit/pyodide.md
description: Install RefKit PyEmscripten wheels and run the Python API in Pyodide.
---

# Run in Pyodide

[Pyodide](https://pyodide.org/) runs Python and native Python packages compiled to WebAssembly in a browser or Node.js. RefKit publishes PyEmscripten wheels, the wheel format used by Python extensions compiled through Emscripten for this runtime.

Use the `refkit` Python API in Pyodide. `polars-refkit` supports native CPython on Linux, macOS, and Windows and does not support Pyodide.

Release tests execute the Pyodide command-line runtime with this compatibility set:

| Component | Tested value |
| --- | --- |
| Python | 3.14 |
| Pyodide xbuild environment | 314.0.2 |
| PyEmscripten platform | `pyemscripten_2026_0_wasm32` |

The xbuild environment pins the runtime application binary interface and build flags. It is a build-environment version rather than the Pyodide product version.

## Load `refkit`

Initialize a compatible runtime using the [Pyodide initialization guide](https://pyodide.org/en/stable/usage/quickstart.html). The examples assume its `pyodide` instance is ready. Install through [micropip](https://micropip.pyodide.org/):

```javascript
await pyodide.loadPackage("micropip")
await pyodide.runPythonAsync(`
import micropip
await micropip.install("refkit")
`)
```

Run the regular Python API inside that instance:

```python
import refkit as rk

library = rk.Library.parse_bibtex(
    """
@article{doe2024,
  author = {Doe, Jane},
  title = {Browser Citations},
  year = {2024}
}
"""
)
document = rk.Document(library, rk.Style.load("apa"), locale="en-US")
rendered = document.render([rk.Citation("intro", "doe2024")])

print(rendered["intro"].text)
```

Expected output:

```text
(Doe, 2024)
```

Parsing, raw BibTeX editing, formatting, citation rendering, bibliography rendering, and structured output use the same Python API as CPython.

## Use the Pyodide CLI

The Pyodide CLI creates a virtual environment that runs the PyEmscripten runtime. Install the pinned build tool, create the environment, and activate it before installing RefKit:

```bash
python -m pip install 'pyodide-build==0.35.1'
pyodide xbuildenv install 314.0.2
pyodide venv .venv-pyodide
. .venv-pyodide/bin/activate
python -m pip install refkit
```

An installation error that reports no compatible wheel means the package index has no wheel for the active PyEmscripten platform. Use the tested compatibility set or choose a RefKit release built for that runtime.

The [Pyodide package loading guide](https://pyodide.org/en/stable/usage/loading-packages.html) covers JavaScript initialization, package repositories, and `micropip` behavior.