lzfse
Python bindings for the LZFSE reference implementation
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you specifically need LZFSE compression/decompression in Python. The MIT license, zero runtime dependencies, and availability of prebuilt wheels make it straightforward to install. However, the package has been dormant since April 2024 and receives no active maintenance, so verify that the current version meets your needs before depending on it for production use.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python >= 3.8; prebuilt wheels available only for Python 3.10 and 3.11.
- Medium install friction due to compiled wheels; prebuilt binaries are available for Python 3.10 and 3.11 across macOS, Linux, and Windows architectures, but the package has been dormant since its initial release in April 2024.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for both open-source and proprietary projects.
last release 2024-04-19 (847 days) · last repo commit 2024-04-22
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 1,177,838 downloads/mo, #4,263 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install lzfse
import lzfse
compressed = lzfse.compress(b'data')
decompressed = lzfse.decompress(compressed)- Whether the package is actively maintained or if dormancy signals abandonment
- Performance characteristics compared to alternative compression libraries
- Compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.11
What it is and what it does
lzfse is a thin Python wrapper around Apple's LZFSE reference compression implementation. It exposes the core compress and decompress operations as Python functions, allowing developers to work with LZFSE-encoded data directly from Python code without calling external tools. The package provides no runtime dependencies and ships with prebuilt wheels for common platforms.
The package is minimal and focused: it does one thing—bridge Python to the LZFSE codec—and does not attempt to provide a high-level API, streaming interfaces, or file-handling utilities. It is useful when you need to read or write LZFSE data as part of a larger workflow, but it is not a general-purpose compression toolkit.
Use it for
- Decompress LZFSE-encoded files from Apple systems or tools that use LZFSE compression.
- Integrate LZFSE compression into Python applications for data storage or transmission.
- Work with compressed archives or firmware images that use the LZFSE algorithm.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you specifically need LZFSE compression/decompression in Python.
The MIT license, zero runtime dependencies, and availability of prebuilt wheels make it straightforward to install. However, the package has been dormant since April 2024 and receives no active maintenance, so verify that the current version meets your needs before depending on it for production use.
Install
lzfse on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to compiled wheels; prebuilt binaries are available for Python 3.10 and 3.11 across macOS, Linux, and Windows architectures, but the package has been dormant since its initial release in April 2024.
Requires Python >= 3.8; prebuilt wheels available only for Python 3.10 and 3.11.
License in practice
MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for both open-source and proprietary projects.
Quickstart
pip install lzfse
import lzfse
compressed = lzfse.compress(b'data')
decompressed = lzfse.decompress(compressed)Verify before relying
- Whether the package is actively maintained or if dormancy signals abandonment
- Performance characteristics compared to alternative compression libraries
- Compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.11
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.8 |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Dormant 847 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 1,177,838 / month, #4,263 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
Evidence: lzfse-0.4.2-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp310-cp310-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_5_i686.manylinux1_i686.manylinux_2_17_i686.manylinux2014_i686.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_1_aarch64.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_1_i686.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_1_x86_64.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp310-cp310-win32.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp311-cp311-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_5_i686.manylinux1_i686.manylinux_2_17_i686.manylinux2014_i686.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp311-cp311-musllinux_1_1_aarch64.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp311-cp311-musllinux_1_1_i686.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp311-cp311-musllinux_1_1_x86_64.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp311-cp311-win32.whl; lzfse-0.4.2-cp311-cp311-win_amd64.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 › “lzfse compression python”
- lzfsePython bindings for the LZFSE reference implementation, providing…
- pyliblzfseProvides Python bindings for LZFSE and LZVN compression and…
- apple-compressPython bindings for Apple's libcompression library, providing both a…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Utilities packages
Converts domain names between Unicode and ASCII-compatible encoding (Punycode) according to IDNA 2008 and Unicode Technical Standard 46, with security validation and broader script coverage than the standard library.
Install it if you work with internationalized domain names, need to validate domains, or use HTTP clients that depend on it transitively.
Detects and normalizes text encoding from unknown or ambiguous sources, supporting all IANA character sets that Python's core library provides codecs for, with the ability to register custom codecs.
Setuptools is a Python build backend and package management tool that handles building, distributing, and installing Python packages, including support for C/C++ extension modules.
Pluggy provides a plugin system that lets you define hook specifications and register implementations to be called in sequence, enabling extensible Python applications without tight coupling.
Install it if you're building an extensible application or framework.
Pygments is a syntax highlighter that colorizes source code and text in over 500 languages and formats, outputting to HTML, LaTeX, RTF, SVG, images, or ANSI terminal sequences.
Install it if you need to display or transform source code.
Six provides utility functions to write Python code that runs on both Python 2.7 and Python 3.3+, smoothing over language differences between the two versions.
See also apple-compress · pyliblzfse · lzallright · unlzw3 · python-neo-lzf · python-snappy · ncompress · python-lzf · brotlicffi · inflate64