bsdiff4
binary diff and patch using the BSDIFF4-format
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. bsdiff4 is stable (Production/Stable status), actively maintained, has no vulnerabilities, and solves a specific and well-defined problem with no runtime dependencies. The medium install friction is mitigated by broad wheel availability. Install it if you need efficient binary diffing; skip it if you only work with text or don't need delta compression.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Medium install friction due to compiled C extensions; however, prebuilt wheels are available for a wide range of Python versions and platforms (Python 3.10–3.13, macOS, Linux, Windows).
- Maintenance is active with a recent commit on 2026-08-07.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD (permissive) — BSD license is permissive, allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; no copyleft obligations.
last release 2025-02-19 (541 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-07 · 145 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 424,483 downloads/mo, #6,765 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
import bsdiff4
a = b'original data'
b = b'modified data'
patch = bsdiff4.diff(a, b)
result = bsdiff4.patch(a, patch)
assert result == b- Whether the package supports Python 2.7 in practice despite classifiers listing it; modern Python versions are clearly supported.
What it is and what it does
bsdiff4 is a Python wrapper around the BSDIFF4 binary diffing algorithm, allowing you to compute compact patches between binary files or byte sequences and apply those patches to reconstruct the target. It exposes both in-memory functions (diff/patch on byte strings) and file-level operations (file_diff, file_patch, file_patch_inplace), making it useful for scenarios where you need to minimize storage or transmission overhead when distributing updates or storing multiple versions of binary data.
The package is built on C code derived from the original BSD bsdiff utility and cx_bsdiff, compiled to native extensions for performance. It has no runtime dependencies and is actively maintained; prebuilt wheels cover a broad range of platforms and Python versions, keeping installation straightforward on most systems despite the compiled nature of the code.
Use it for
- Generate compact update patches for software distribution, reducing bandwidth when delivering new versions.
- Store incremental snapshots of binary files (e.g., disk images, database backups) to minimize storage overhead.
- Implement version control or delta-sync systems for binary artifacts where diff-based storage saves significant space.
- Transmit binary file changes over low-bandwidth connections by sending only the patch instead of the full file.
- Create forensic or archival systems that track changes to binary data with minimal redundancy.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
bsdiff4 is stable (Production/Stable status), actively maintained, has no vulnerabilities, and solves a specific and well-defined problem with no runtime dependencies. The medium install friction is mitigated by broad wheel availability. Install it if you need efficient binary diffing; skip it if you only work with text or don't need delta compression.
Install
bsdiff4 on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to compiled C extensions; however, prebuilt wheels are available for a wide range of Python versions and platforms (Python 3.10–3.13, macOS, Linux, Windows). Maintenance is active with a recent commit on 2026-08-07.
License in practice
BSD license is permissive, allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; no copyleft obligations.
Quickstart
import bsdiff4
a = b'original data'
b = b'modified data'
patch = bsdiff4.diff(a, b)
result = bsdiff4.patch(a, patch)
assert result == bVerify before relying
- Whether the package supports Python 2.7 in practice despite classifiers listing it; modern Python versions are clearly supported.
Package facts
| License | BSD permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 541 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 424,483 / month, #6,765 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: CProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: Utilities |
Evidence: bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp310-cp310-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_ppc64le.manylinux2014_ppc64le.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_s390x.manylinux2014_s390x.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_5_i686.manylinux1_i686.manylinux_2_17_i686.manylinux2014_i686.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_i686.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_ppc64le.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_s390x.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp310-cp310-win32.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp311-cp311-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_ppc64le.manylinux2014_ppc64le.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_s390x.manylinux2014_s390x.whl; bsdiff4-1.2.6-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl
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See also patch · fast-diff-match-patch · daff · dictdiffer · whatthepatch · json-delta · diff-match-patch · xmldiff · cobs · jsondiff