---
id: pure-pcapy3
version: "1.0.1"
license: Simplified BSD
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# pure-pcapy3 — Pure Python reimplementation of pcapy. This package is API compatible and a drop-in replacement.

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 130.4K/mo

## What it is and what it does

pure-pcapy3 is a pure-Python reimplementation designed as a drop-in replacement for pcapy, focusing on file-based operations—reading and writing PCAP files—rather than live network traffic capture. The package aims for API compatibility, meaning code written for file operations should work with pure-pcapy3, though any feature requiring live capture will raise NotImplementedError.

The package is useful when you need PCAP file handling in a pure-Python environment without compiled dependencies, but it comes with significant caveats: it has been abandoned since its initial release on 2017-02-27 with no maintenance, updates, or bug fixes. It carries no known security vulnerabilities, but the lack of ongoing development means compatibility with modern Python versions and current PCAP formats is uncertain.

Use it for:

- Parse and analyze PCAP files in a pure-Python environment without compiled dependencies.
- Migrate code to a dependency-free alternative for file-based packet analysis only.
- Write PCAP files programmatically in Python without requiring system-level packet capture libraries.
- Test or prototype network packet analysis logic in environments where compiled extensions cannot be installed.

## Worth the install?

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

Pure-Python implementation of the pcapy API for reading and writing PCAP network packet capture files, without support for live traffic capture.

No. The package is abandoned since 2017 with no maintenance signal, high install friction, and no documented Python version support. Use only if you have a specific legacy codebase already depending on it and cannot migrate to an actively maintained alternative. For new projects, choose a maintained PCAP library.

## Install

pip install pure-pcapy3
uv add pure-pcapy3
poetry add pure-pcapy3

## Installing pure-pcapy3

Before you install: High install friction due to source-only distribution. Package is abandoned as of 2017 with no maintenance or updates since initial release; use only if you need a static, file-based PCAP reader and can accept no ongoing support.

License in practice: Licensed under Simplified BSD (permissive), so you may use, modify, and distribute the package freely provided you retain the license notice.

Quickstart:

pip install pure-pcapy3

import pure_pcapy3

# Read PCAP file
capture = pure_pcapy3.open_offline('capture.pcap')
header, data = capture.next()

Package is abandoned since 2017 and receives no maintenance; live traffic capture is not supported, only file operations.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the API compatibility with pcapy remains sufficient for current use cases given the 2017 codebase.
- Whether Python version support is documented or tested against modern Python releases.
- Whether the package works correctly with modern PCAP file formats or only legacy formats.
- Actual module import name and available public API methods beyond file operations.

## Package facts

- License: Simplified BSD (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 130.4K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

pcap file reader python, network packet capture file parsing, pcapy replacement pure python, pcap writer library, packet capture file format, pcap file format handler, pcap-file-handling, abandoned

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