hexdump

What it is and what it does

hexdump is a utility library and command-line tool that converts binary data into human-readable hexadecimal format and can reverse the process to restore binary from hex dumps. It handles both Python 2 and Python 3, with special attention to encoding issues (e.g., converting Unicode strings to bytes before dumping). The library provides simple functions like dump() to format binary as hex strings and restore() to parse hex dumps back into binary, plus a dehex() helper that strips whitespace from hex text—addressing a limitation in the standard binascii module.

You can use it as a standalone command-line tool (via `python -m hexdump`) to inspect binary files or as an imported library in scripts. The package has no runtime dependencies, making it lightweight to install, though the distribution as a .zip archive introduces friction. The project is no longer maintained, so it will not receive updates for new Python versions or bug fixes.

Use it for:

• Inspect binary file contents in human-readable hex format for debugging or forensic analysis.
• Convert binary data to hex strings for logging, transmission, or storage in text-based formats.
• Restore binary files from hex dumps saved by hexdump or other hex editors.
• Parse hex-formatted data in scripts without relying on binascii, which fails on whitespace-containing input.
• Encode text in different character encodings (e.g., UTF-8, Windows-1251) and view the resulting hex bytes.

Worth the install?

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

Converts binary data to hexadecimal text representation and restores binary from hex dumps, available as both a library and command-line tool.

No—the package is abandoned (last release 2016-01-22) and will not receive maintenance or Python version updates. While it has no dependencies and works for basic hex conversion, the high install friction combined with no active support makes it unsuitable for new projects. Use the standard library's binascii module or a maintained alternative instead.

Install

hexdump on PyPI

pip install hexdump

uv add hexdump

poetry add hexdump

Installing hexdump

Before you install

High install friction due to distribution as a .zip file. Package is abandoned—last release was 2016-01-22—so expect no maintenance, bug fixes, or Python version updates.

License in practice

Public Domain license means no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution; you can use this freely in any project without attribution or licensing concerns.

Quickstart

pip install hexdump

import hexdump
hexdump.dump(b'\x00\x11\x22\x33')
# Output: 00 11 22 33

restored = hexdump.restore('00 11 22 33')
# Returns: b'\x00\x11\x22\x33'

Package is abandoned and not maintained; compatibility with Python versions beyond 2/3 is unverified.

Verify before relying

• Whether the package remains compatible with current Python versions beyond the 2/3 support claimed in the description.
• Whether the .zip distribution method still works reliably with modern pip and Python environments.
• How long the package has been without maintenance and whether it poses compatibility risks.

Package facts

Evidence: hexdump-3.3.zip

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