---
id: checksumdir
version: "1.3.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: aging
---

# checksumdir — Compute a single hash of the file contents of a directory.

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 769.4K/mo

## What it is and what it does

Checksumdir is a lightweight utility that generates a single hash digest representing all file contents within a directory tree. It ignores file and directory metadata—only the actual file content matters—making it useful for detecting whether the substantive content of a directory has changed, independent of timestamps or file names. The package works as both a Python library (via the dirhash function) and a command-line tool, supporting multiple hash algorithms (md5, sha1, sha256) and offering fine-grained control over which files to include or exclude.

The module has no runtime dependencies and supports Python 3.9 through 3.13. It's straightforward to integrate into build pipelines, testing frameworks, or any workflow where you need to verify that directory contents haven't been altered. The aging maintenance status (last release 364 days ago) suggests stability rather than active development, and the absence of known vulnerabilities indicates it's safe to use.

Use it for:

- Verify that cached build artifacts or downloaded packages haven't been corrupted or modified
- Detect changes in source code directories for incremental build systems or CI/CD pipelines
- Compare directory contents across machines or time periods without relying on file timestamps
- Exclude temporary or generated files (e.g., .pyc, node_modules) when computing integrity hashes
- Implement simple content-based deduplication or change detection in file synchronization tools

## Worth the install?

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

Computes a single hash digest of all file contents in a directory, with options to exclude specific files or extensions, and ignore file metadata like names.

Yes. Checksumdir solves a specific, well-defined problem with zero dependencies, permissive licensing, and no known vulnerabilities. Install it if you need to hash directory contents for integrity checking or change detection. The aging maintenance is not a concern—the code is stable and the last commit was recent. Not worth installing if you need active feature development or extensive documentation.

## Install

pip install checksumdir
uv add checksumdir
poetry add checksumdir

## Installing checksumdir

Before you install: Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. Maintenance is aging—last release was 364 days ago, though the repository remains active with a recent commit on 2025-08-15 and modest community interest (102 stars).

License in practice: MIT license is permissive, allowing free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for most projects.

Quickstart:

pip install checksumdir

from checksumdir import dirhash

md5hash = dirhash('/path/to/directory', 'md5')
sha256hash = dirhash('/path/to/directory', 'sha256', excluded_extensions=['pyc'])

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package handles symlinks correctly by default or only with the --follow-links flag
- Performance characteristics on very large directories or deeply nested structures
- Whether excluded_files and excluded_extensions can be combined in a single call

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 769.4K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

directory hash checksum, compute hash of folder contents, directory integrity verification, recursive file hash, exclude files from directory hash, md5 sha1 sha256 directory, file-integrity, cryptography

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