apple-compress
Python bindings for Apple's libcompression.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you are on a Unix-like system and need to work with Apple's compression algorithms. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. However, verify the license terms in the repository first, and confirm it meets your OS and Python version requirements (3.8+, Unix-like only).AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires an Apple/Unix-like OS system; will not work on Windows.
- Requires Python 3.8 or higher.
- Low install friction with a pure-wheel distribution.
License · maintenance · safety
(unclear) — License status is unclear—no SPDX identifier or raw license text is available in the package metadata. Before installing in a commercial or copyleft-sensitive context, verify the actual license terms in the repository.
last release 2024-04-05 (861 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-10 · 15 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 245,726 downloads/mo, #8,726 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install apple-compress
from apple_compress import compress, decompress
compressed = compress(b'data', algorithm='lzfse')
original = decompress(compressed)- Whether the package works on all Unix-like systems or only macOS specifically.
- Performance characteristics and compression ratio compared to standard zlib or other alternatives.
- Whether the iBoot-compatible LZFSE variant is suitable for general-purpose use or only firmware contexts.
What it is and what it does
apple-compress wraps Apple's native libcompression library for use in Python, exposing both a library API and a command-line tool. It supports multiple compression formats including LZFSE (Apple's proprietary algorithm), LZFSE in iBoot-compatible mode, and zlib. The package is built on bindings originally developed for the Asahi Linux project.
The library is intended for developers who need to compress or decompress data using Apple's algorithms, either programmatically or via command line. It runs only on Unix-like systems and requires Python 3.8 or higher. With just two runtime dependencies (click for CLI and loguru for logging), it has minimal footprint.
Use it for
- Compress firmware or system images using Apple's LZFSE algorithm on macOS or Unix systems.
- Decompress iBoot-compatible LZFSE data in Python scripts for Apple device development workflows.
- Build CLI tools for batch compression/decompression of data using native Apple compression formats.
- Integrate Apple compression into Python-based build or deployment pipelines on Unix systems.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you are on a Unix-like system and need to work with Apple's compression algorithms.
The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. However, verify the license terms in the repository first, and confirm it meets your OS and Python version requirements (3.8+, Unix-like only).
Install
apple-compress on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a pure-wheel distribution. Actively maintained as of August 2026, though the package is relatively young (first released December 2023). Depends only on click and loguru, both stable and lightweight.
Requires an Apple/Unix-like OS system; will not work on Windows. Requires Python 3.8 or higher.
License in practice
License status is unclear—no SPDX identifier or raw license text is available in the package metadata. Before installing in a commercial or copyleft-sensitive context, verify the actual license terms in the repository.
Quickstart
pip install apple-compress
from apple_compress import compress, decompress
compressed = compress(b'data', algorithm='lzfse')
original = decompress(compressed)Verify before relying
- Whether the package works on all Unix-like systems or only macOS specifically.
- Performance characteristics and compression ratio compared to standard zlib or other alternatives.
- Whether the iBoot-compatible LZFSE variant is suitable for general-purpose use or only firmware contexts.
Package facts
| License | Not declared unclear |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release <4.0,>=3.8 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagesclickloguru |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 861 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 245,726 / month, #8,726 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9 |
Evidence: apple_compress-0.2.3-py3-none-any.whl
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