pbtools

What it is and what it does

pbtools is a Python tool that generates C source code from Protocol Buffer proto3 specifications and includes a proto3 language parser. It targets embedded and performance-sensitive C applications, generating code designed around arena-based memory allocation (no malloc/free), thread safety, and small memory footprint. The tool outputs C structs and encode/decode functions for each protobuf message.

The generated C code is intended for scenarios where you need fast, lightweight protobuf serialization without dynamic memory management. You provide a proto3 file, run the code generator, and get C header and source files ready to compile into your application. Known limitations include lack of support for options, gRPC services, reserved fields, and public imports.

Use it for:

• Generate C protobuf serialization code for embedded systems or microcontrollers with tight memory constraints.
• Build command-line tools or utilities that need to parse and validate proto3 definitions at development time.
• Create C libraries that encode/decode protobuf messages using arena-based memory for predictable performance.
• Integrate protobuf messaging into C applications where dynamic allocation must be avoided or minimized.

Worth the install?

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

Generates C source code from Protocol Buffer proto3 definitions and parses proto3 language files in Python 3.6+.

No. The project is dormant with last release on 2023-06-04 and no commits since 2024-04-06, combined with high install friction. Unless you are maintaining legacy code already using pbtools 0.47.0, prefer actively maintained alternatives.

Install

pbtools on PyPI

pip install pbtools

uv add pbtools

poetry add pbtools

Installing pbtools

Before you install

High install friction due to source distribution format. Project is dormant—last release was 2023-06-04, with no commits since 2024-04-06. No active maintenance signal.

License in practice

MIT license is permissive; you may use, modify, and distribute this package freely with minimal restrictions, provided you retain the license notice.

Quickstart

pip install pbtools
pbtools generate_c_source examples/hello_world/hello_world.proto

Requires Python 3.6+. Generated C code requires a C compiler and workspace memory management; char must be 8 bits.

Verify before relying

• Whether the package works reliably with modern Python versions beyond 3.6.
• Current status of known limitations (options, services/gRPC, reserved fields, public imports) and whether they affect typical use cases.
• Whether high install friction (source distribution) causes build failures on common platforms.

Package facts

Evidence: pbtools-0.47.0.tar.gz

Keywords: protobuf, proto, protocol buffers

Tags

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