---
id: eth-rlp
version: "2.2.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: aging
---

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

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 6.5M/mo

## 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 above — 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

pip install eth-rlp
uv add eth-rlp
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_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 6.5M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

ethereum rlp encoding, recursive length prefix python, ethereum serialization, rlp codec ethereum, blockchain data encoding, ethereum object serialization, ethereum, blockchain, serialization

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