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eth-rlp

eth-rlp: RLP definitions for common Ethereum objects in Python

eth-rlp v2.2.0 6.5M downloads/30d#1,895 on PyPI17
Permissive license MIT AGING released

What it is and what it does

eth-rlp is a Python library that defines RLP (Recursive Length Prefix) serialization rules for standard Ethereum data structures. RLP is the encoding scheme used throughout the Ethereum protocol to serialize objects for transmission and storage. This package wraps the lower-level rlp library with Ethereum-specific object definitions, so you can encode and decode transactions, blocks, and other blockchain primitives without manually specifying their structure each time.

The package depends on eth-utils for utility functions, hexbytes for hex-encoded byte handling, rlp for the core encoding/decoding logic, and typing_extensions for type hints. It targets modern Python versions (3.8–3.13) and is maintained by the Ethereum Foundation. With no known vulnerabilities and a permissive MIT license, it is suitable for production use in Ethereum tooling, wallets, and protocol implementations.

Use it for:

  • Serialize Ethereum transactions for broadcast to the network or storage in a local database.
  • Deserialize RLP-encoded blockchain data received from peers or archived state.
  • Build Ethereum client libraries or wallet software that needs standard object encoding.
  • Validate or inspect the structure of Ethereum protocol messages in development and testing.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Provides RLP (Recursive Length Prefix) encoding and decoding definitions for Ethereum objects in Python, enabling serialization of common blockchain data structures.

Yes. eth-rlp is a stable, low-friction dependency for any Python project working with Ethereum data structures. It has no known vulnerabilities, a permissive license, and broad Python version support. The aging maintenance status (556 days since last release) is not a blocker for a mature, well-scoped library; however, if you need active feature development or rapid bug fixes, verify that the package's release cadence meets your project's expectations.

Install

eth-rlp on PyPI

pip

pip install eth-rlp

uv

uv add eth-rlp

poetry

poetry add eth-rlp

Installing eth-rlp

Before you install

Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. Maintenance is aging—last release was 556 days ago—but the repository remains active and the package is marked Production/Stable with support for Python 3.8 through 3.13.

License in practice

MIT license (permissive) places no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution; suitable for commercial and proprietary projects.

Quickstart

pip install eth-rlp

from eth_rlp import encode_transaction
# Encode an Ethereum transaction object using RLP definitions

Verify before relying

  • Specific RLP object types supported beyond 'common Ethereum objects' (transactions, blocks, receipts, etc.)
  • Whether this package provides encoding/decoding or only definitions/schemas for RLP structures
  • Integration patterns with eth-utils, hexbytes, and rlp dependencies in typical workflows

Package facts

License MIT (permissive)
Python support supports the current Python release (<4,>=3.8)
Install friction low — pure-Python wheel
Runtime dependencies 4 — eth-utils, hexbytes, rlp, typing_extensions
Maintenance aging — 556 days since the last release
Last repo commit
First released
Downloads 6,512,565/month — #1,895 on PyPI (30-day window, as of 2026-08-14)
Known vulnerabilities none known (OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14)

Evidence: eth_rlp-2.2.0-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: ethereum

Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseNatural Language :: EnglishProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9

Tags

ethereum rlp encodingrecursive length prefix pythonethereum serializationrlp codec ethereumblockchain data encodingethereum object serialization
ethereumblockchainserialization

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