---
id: protobuf3-to-dict
version: "0.1.5"
license: Public Domain
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# 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

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 8.0M/mo

## 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 above — verify before relying.

Converts protocol buffer messages to Python dictionaries and back, with built-in support for datetime conversion and field validation.

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

pip install protobuf3-to-dict
uv add protobuf3-to-dict
poetry add protobuf3-to-dict

## Installing protobuf3-to-dict

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.

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)

Requires git-based installation; expects a google.protobuf.message.Message subclass as input.

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: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 8.0M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

protobuf to dict conversion, protocol buffer serialization, protobuf json intermediate, convert protobuf message, protobuf dict mapping, protobuf-serialization, abandoned-maintenance

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/protobuf3-to-dict) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/protobuf3-to-dict/)