protobuf3-to-dict
Ben Hodgson: A teeny Python library for creating Python dicts from protocol buffers and the reverse. Useful as an intermediate step before serialisation (e.g. to JSON). Kapor: upgrade it to PB3 and PY3, rename it to protobuf3-to-dict
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No. The package is abandoned (last commit 2022-05-31) and requires non-standard git-based installation. High install friction combined with stale maintenance makes this a poor choice for new projects.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires git-based installation; expects a google.protobuf.message.Message subclass as input.
- High install friction: requires git-based installation from a fork rather than PyPI.
- Maintenance is abandoned—last commit was 2022-05-31, over three years ago.
License · maintenance · safety
Public Domain (permissive) — Public Domain license means no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution. You may use this freely in any context, commercial or otherwise, with no attribution requirement.
last release 2017-02-23 (3459 days) · last repo commit 2022-05-31 · 74 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 8,034,136 downloads/mo, #1,670 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
from protobuf3_to_dict import protobuf_to_dict, dict_to_protobuf
my_message_dict = protobuf_to_dict(my_message)
msg = dict_to_protobuf(MyMessage, values=my_message_dict)- Compatibility with current protobuf library versions (last release 2017-02-23)
- Whether the fork referenced in the description is actively maintained or also abandoned
- Python 3 support level beyond the listed 3.5 classifier
- Whether native protobuf JSON support in Protobuf 3.0.0+ makes this package obsolete
What it is and what it does
protobuf3-to-dict bridges protocol buffers and Python dictionaries, converting protobuf Message objects to dicts suitable for JSON serialization and back. It handles type conversions automatically—bytes become base64 strings, datetime objects map to Google's Timestamp type, and enums can be rendered as integers or string labels. The library also supports field validation using custom protobuf options to enforce required fields in Protobuf 3, where all fields are technically optional.
The package is a fork aimed at Protobuf 3 and Python 3 compatibility, though it has not been actively maintained since 2017. It carries no runtime dependencies and works as a thin conversion layer between serialization formats.
Use it for
- Convert protobuf messages to JSON by first materializing them as dicts for JSON serialization
- Validate incoming dictionary data against protobuf message schemas before converting to protobuf objects
- Inspect and manipulate protobuf message fields and options programmatically without hand-coding schema reflection
- Round-trip protobuf messages through dict representation for testing or intermediate processing
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No.
The package is abandoned (last commit 2022-05-31) and requires non-standard git-based installation. High install friction combined with stale maintenance makes this a poor choice for new projects.
Install
protobuf3-to-dict on PyPI
Before you install
High install friction: requires git-based installation from a fork rather than PyPI. Maintenance is abandoned—last commit was 2022-05-31, over three years ago. No active development or support.
Requires git-based installation; expects a google.protobuf.message.Message subclass as input.
License in practice
Public Domain license means no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution. You may use this freely in any context, commercial or otherwise, with no attribution requirement.
Quickstart
from protobuf3_to_dict import protobuf_to_dict, dict_to_protobuf
my_message_dict = protobuf_to_dict(my_message)
msg = dict_to_protobuf(MyMessage, values=my_message_dict)Verify before relying
- Compatibility with current protobuf library versions (last release 2017-02-23)
- Whether the fork referenced in the description is actively maintained or also abandoned
- Python 3 support level beyond the listed 3.5 classifier
- Whether native protobuf JSON support in Protobuf 3.0.0+ makes this package obsolete
Package facts
| License | Public Domain permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | High. Source build required |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 3,459 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 8,034,136 / month, #1,670 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 :: DevelopersLicense :: Public DomainOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: protobuf3-to-dict-0.1.5.tar.gz
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 › “protobuf to dict conversion”
- protobuf3-to-dictConverts protocol buffer messages to Python dictionaries and back,…
- betterproto-rust-codecProvides fast Rust-based conversion between betterproto messages and…
- pbsparkConverts protobuf messages to and from PySpark DataFrames using UDFs,…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Python Modules 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.
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.
PyYAML parses and emits YAML 1.1 data format, enabling serialization and deserialization of configuration files and Python objects to and from human-readable YAML text.
Pydantic validates Python data structures against type hints, coercing and checking input at runtime to ensure it matches a declared schema.
Provides reusable metadata objects for use with PEP-593 `typing.Annotated` to express common constraints like bounds, collection sizes, and predicates on types.
Install it if you use or build libraries that need to express type constraints in a standardized, inspectable way—or if you want to annotate your own types with…
Provides runtime tools to inspect and introspect Python type annotations, enabling programmatic examination of type hints at execution time.
See also foxglove-schemas-protobuf · proto-plus · pure-protobuf · dbt-protos · mcap-protobuf-support · protovalidate · opentelemetry-proto · aristaproto · protoc-wheel-0 · protobuf-decoder