---
id: libthumbor
version: "2.0.2"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# libthumbor — libthumbor is the python extension to generate thumbor URLs

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 75.1K/mo

## What it is and what it does

libthumbor is a Python client library that generates cryptographically signed URLs for the thumbor image processing service. It wraps the URL generation logic so you can specify image dimensions, smart cropping, and other processing parameters, then get back an encrypted URL that thumbor will accept and process. The library is designed to work with thumbor 3.0.0 and later.

The package is a thin wrapper around URL encryption and parameter encoding—it does not perform image processing itself, only prepares requests for a thumbor server to handle. It supports Python 3.6 through 3.10 and depends only on six for Python 2/3 compatibility shims.

Use it for:

- Generate secure image resize requests in a web application that delegates image processing to a thumbor service.
- Build thumbnail URLs with smart cropping and dimension constraints without exposing thumbor's internal URL scheme.
- Integrate image resizing into a Django application using thumbor as the backend processor.
- Encrypt image processing parameters so clients cannot manipulate resize logic or access arbitrary images.

## Worth the install?

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

libthumbor generates encrypted URLs for the thumbor image service, allowing Python code to securely request resized and processed images from a thumbor server.

No. The package is abandoned (last release 1597 days ago) and will not receive maintenance or security updates. If you have an active thumbor deployment and need a Python client, consider whether the package's thumbor 3.0.0+ compatibility still holds in practice, or evaluate maintaining a fork or writing URL generation inline. For new projects, thumbor itself may have evolved or alternative image services may be more actively maintained.

## Install

pip install libthumbor
uv add libthumbor
poetry add libthumbor

## Installing libthumbor

Before you install: Low install friction with a single lightweight dependency (six). However, the package is abandoned—last release was 1597 days ago—so it will not receive bug fixes or security updates going forward.

License in practice: MIT license is permissive and poses no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution in commercial or private projects.

Quickstart:

pip install libthumbor

from libthumbor import CryptoURL

crypto = CryptoURL(key='my-security-key')
encrypted_url = crypto.generate(
    width=300,
    height=200,
    smart=True,
    image_url='/path/to/my/image.jpg'
)

Requires a running thumbor server to process the generated URLs; the package only generates the encrypted request URLs, not the image processing itself.

Verify before relying:

- Whether thumbor 3.0.0+ compatibility is maintained across current thumbor releases or if drift has occurred since the last release in 2022.
- Whether Django integration mentioned in the description is functional or has bitrotted.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 75.1K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

thumbor URL generation, image thumbnail encryption, thumbor python client, secure image resizing URLs, thumbor crypto URL, image-processing, thumbor-client, abandoned

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