---
id: base32-crockford
version: "0.3.0"
license: BSD
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# base32-crockford — A Python implementation of Douglas Crockford's base32 encoding scheme

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 784.1K/mo

## What it is and what it does

base32-crockford is a Python implementation of Douglas Crockford's base32 encoding scheme, an alternative to standard base32 designed for human readability and error resistance. It uses a symbol set of 10 digits and 22 letters, deliberately excluding I, L, O, and U to avoid confusion between similar-looking characters. The encoder produces uppercase output, while the decoder is case-insensitive and automatically corrects common misreadings (i→1, l→1, o→0). Hyphens can be inserted for readability and are stripped during decoding. The scheme also supports appending a check symbol to detect errors within encoded strings.

The package has no runtime dependencies and installs easily, but it is no longer actively maintained. The last release was in 2015 and the last repository commit in 2019, so it will not receive updates for new Python versions, security issues, or bug fixes. It is suitable for projects that need Crockford base32 encoding and can tolerate a static, unsupported codebase.

Use it for:

- Encode identifiers or tokens in a human-friendly format that is easy to read aloud or transcribe by hand
- Decode Crockford base32 strings received from external systems or APIs that use this encoding standard
- Add error detection to encoded data by appending a check symbol and validating it on decode
- Replace standard base32 in contexts where confusing characters (I, L, O, U) must be avoided

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Encodes and decodes data using Douglas Crockford's base32 scheme, a human-readable alternative to standard base32 that excludes confusing characters and supports error detection.

Yes, if you specifically need Crockford base32 encoding and can accept an unmaintained package. The implementation is simple, has no dependencies, and carries no known vulnerabilities. However, do not use it if you require ongoing maintenance, support for modern Python versions, or active bug fixes. For new projects, verify that this encoding scheme is actually required rather than a standard alternative.

## Install

pip install base32-crockford
uv add base32-crockford
poetry add base32-crockford

## Installing base32-crockford

Before you install: Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is abandoned—last release was 2015-03-19 and last commit 2019-10-21—so it will not receive bug fixes or security updates.

License in practice: BSD license is permissive, allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, making it safe to include in most projects.

Quickstart:

pip install base32-crockford

from base32_crockford import encode, decode

encoded = encode(b'hello')
decoded = decode(encoded)

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works reliably on modern Python versions (classifiers list Python 2.6–3.4, but no requires_python constraint is specified)
- Whether error detection via check symbols is production-ready or experimental
- Performance characteristics for large data volumes

## Package facts

- License: BSD (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 784.1K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

base32 encoding decoding, crockford base32, human readable encoding, error detecting encoding, alternative base32 scheme, compact data encoding, checksum encoding, encoding, abandoned

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