---
id: intelhex
version: "2.3.0"
license: BSD
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# intelhex — Python library for Intel HEX files manipulations

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 5.6M/mo

## What it is and what it does

intelhex is a Python library for reading, writing, and manipulating Intel HEX files, the de facto standard format for representing firmware and data in embedded systems and microcontroller programming. It provides both a programmatic API for working with HEX data in Python code and command-line utilities like hex2bin and bin2hex for format conversion.

The library has no runtime dependencies and installs as a pure Python wheel, making it lightweight and straightforward to integrate into embedded development workflows. It is classified as production/stable and supports Python 3.5 and later, though the last release was in 2020 and the project is now dormant—meaning it receives no active development but remains functional for its core use case.

Use it for:

- Convert between Intel HEX and binary formats when preparing firmware for microcontroller programming.
- Parse and manipulate HEX files programmatically within embedded development toolchains.
- Extract or modify specific memory regions in HEX files before flashing to devices.
- Validate and inspect HEX file structure and content in build or CI/CD pipelines.
- Generate HEX files from scratch when building custom firmware packaging tools.

## Worth the install?

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

Read, write, and manipulate Intel HEX files, a standard format for representing code and data to be programmed into microelectronic devices.

Yes, if you work with Intel HEX files in embedded systems or microcontroller development. The package is stable, dependency-free, and widely used (top 5000 on PyPI). The dormant maintenance status is not a concern for a mature, single-purpose library with no known vulnerabilities, but verify compatibility with your Python version before relying on it for new projects.

## Install

pip install intelhex
uv add intelhex
poetry add intelhex

## Installing intelhex

Before you install: Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. Maintenance is dormant—last release was 2020-10-20—but the package remains in production/stable status with an active repository and recent commits, suggesting it is mature and stable rather than abandoned.

License in practice: BSD permissive license allows unrestricted use in your project without legal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install intelhex

from intelhex import IntelHex

# Read a HEX file
ih = IntelHex('firmware.hex')

# Write to binary
with open('firmware.bin', 'wb') as f:
    ih.tofile(f, format='bin')

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package continues to work reliably with Python versions beyond 3.9, given the last release predates newer Python versions.
- Current real-world usage patterns and whether dormancy reflects maturity or lack of adoption.

## Package facts

- License: BSD (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 5.6M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

intel hex file parser, hex file manipulation python, embedded systems hex format, hex2bin converter, microcontroller firmware format, binary hex conversion, intelhex library, embedded-systems, firmware-tools, hex-format

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/intelhex) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/intelhex/)