hexrec
Library to handle hexadecimal record files
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. The package solves a genuine embedded-systems problem with low install friction, permissive licensing, and no known vulnerabilities. The aging maintenance status (385 days since release) is a minor concern but not a blocker, given that the repository is not archived and the last commit is recent. Install if you regularly work with hex or SREC files.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.9 or later.
- Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel and only three runtime dependencies.
- The package is aging (385 days since last release) but the repository remains active with a recent commit on 2025-07-25, suggesting maintenance rather than abandonment.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD-2-Clause (permissive) — BSD-2-Clause is permissive and poses no significant restriction on use, modification, or distribution in most commercial or open-source contexts.
last release 2025-07-25 (385 days) · last repo commit 2025-07-25 · 18 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 223,231 downloads/mo, #9,249 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install hexrec
from hexrec import convert
convert('data.hex', 'data.srec')
# Or merge multiple files:
from hexrec import merge
merge(['bootloader.hex', 'app.mot', 'config.xtek'], 'merged.srec')- Whether the package's sparse memory editing via bytesparse is performant for large binary files
- Completeness of support for all Intel HEX and Motorola S-record variants in the wild
What it is and what it does
Hexrec is a library for working with hexadecimal record files—the text-based formats (Intel HEX and Motorola S-record) used in embedded systems to exchange binary data destined for microcontroller flash, EEPROM, or other non-volatile memory. It provides high-level functions to load, parse, edit, and save these files, as well as convert between formats, merge multiple files, and manipulate sparse binary data through a bytearray-like interface backed by bytesparse.
The library addresses a real pain point in embedded development: toolchain support for hex formats is often incomplete or buggy, and manual editing of record files is tedious because checksums and record boundaries must be recalculated. Hexrec handles that bookkeeping automatically. It can also be run as a command-line tool for common operations like format conversion, merging, and cropping.
Use it for
- Convert a bootloader and application executable from HEX to SREC format for a board factory that accepts only one format.
- Merge multiple hex files (bootloader, app, config data) into a single file for microcontroller programming.
- Extract and modify a specific address range in a hex file (e.g., trim an app to fit a bootloader-reserved region).
- Generate test datasets by programmatically creating hex records with structured binary data at specific memory addresses.
- Compute and inject a CRC into a hex file at a predetermined address without re-compiling the firmware.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
The package solves a genuine embedded-systems problem with low install friction, permissive licensing, and no known vulnerabilities. The aging maintenance status (385 days since release) is a minor concern but not a blocker, given that the repository is not archived and the last commit is recent. Install if you regularly work with hex or SREC files.
Install
hexrec on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel and only three runtime dependencies. The package is aging (385 days since last release) but the repository remains active with a recent commit on 2025-07-25, suggesting maintenance rather than abandonment.
Requires Python 3.9 or later.
License in practice
BSD-2-Clause is permissive and poses no significant restriction on use, modification, or distribution in most commercial or open-source contexts.
Quickstart
pip install hexrec
from hexrec import convert
convert('data.hex', 'data.srec')
# Or merge multiple files:
from hexrec import merge
merge(['bootloader.hex', 'app.mot', 'config.xtek'], 'merged.srec')Verify before relying
- Whether the package's sparse memory editing via bytesparse is performant for large binary files
- Completeness of support for all Intel HEX and Motorola S-record variants in the wild
Package facts
| License | BSD-2-Clause permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.9 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 3 packagesbytesparseclickcolorama |
| Maintenance | Aging 385 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 223,231 / month, #9,249 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaIntended Audience :: DevelopersOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Interface Engine/Protocol TranslatorTopic :: Software DevelopmentTopic :: Software Development :: Embedded SystemsTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: hexrec-0.5.1-py3-none-any.whl
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “intel hex srec parser”
- hexrecLoads, edits, and saves hexadecimal record files (Intel HEX and…
- bincopyConverts between binary file formats (Motorola S-Record, Intel HEX,…
- intelhexRead, write, and manipulate Intel HEX files, a standard format for…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Software Development packages
Provides backported and experimental type hints for Python 3.9+, allowing use of newer typing features on older Python versions and enabling early experimentation with type system PEPs before they enter the standard library.
NumPy provides an N-dimensional array object and a comprehensive suite of mathematical, linear algebra, Fourier transform, and random number functions for scientific computing in Python.
FastAPI is a Python web framework for building REST APIs using type hints, with automatic request validation, serialization, and interactive API documentation.
Provides a way to document function parameters, class attributes, return types, and variables inline using Python's `Annotated` type hint syntax instead of traditional docstrings.
Typer builds command-line applications from Python functions using type hints, automatically generating help text, argument parsing, and shell completion.
Install it if you are building CLIs in Python.
Distlib provides low-level packaging utilities for building, distributing, and managing Python software—including metadata handling, version specifiers, wheel support, script installation, and dependency resolution.
See also bincopy · intelhex · crccheck · hexdump · libscrc · bytesparse · crc · anycrc · fastcrc · crcmod