---
id: pyaescrypt
version: "6.1.1"
license: Apache License 2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# pyAesCrypt — Encrypt and decrypt files and streams in AES Crypt format (version 2)

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 215.8K/mo

## What it is and what it does

pyAesCrypt is a Python 3 module for encrypting and decrypting files and binary streams using AES256-CBC. It implements the AES Crypt file format (version 2) and can be used as both a library and a command-line tool. The module provides three main interfaces: file-level encryption/decryption, stream-oriented operations for handling large data, and in-memory encryption/decryption via BytesIO.

The package depends only on cryptography and installs with low friction. Maintenance is dormant—the last release was in November 2023. The documentation includes important security caveats: the AES Crypt format version 2 does not authenticate file size metadata, allowing potential tampering with plaintext length, and Python's lack of low-level memory management means sensitive data cannot be securely wiped from RAM.

Use it for:

- Encrypt sensitive files before storing them in untrusted locations or cloud storage.
- Decrypt files encrypted by the AES Crypt tool or other compatible implementations.
- Build a file encryption feature into a Python application using password-based encryption.
- Process large files or streams with custom buffer sizes to manage memory usage.
- Perform in-memory encryption/decryption of binary data using BytesIO without touching the filesystem.

## Worth the install?

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

Encrypts and decrypts files and binary streams using AES256-CBC, compatible with the AES Crypt file format (version 2).

Yes, if you need straightforward AES256-CBC file encryption compatible with the AES Crypt format and can accept dormant maintenance. The package is stable with no known vulnerabilities and handles the common case well. Install it if you are not expecting active security updates or bug fixes; avoid it if you require ongoing support or are encrypting data where file-size tampering is a threat model.

## Install

pip install pyaescrypt
uv add pyaescrypt
poetry add pyaescrypt

## Installing pyAesCrypt

Before you install: Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (cryptography). Maintenance is dormant—last release was in November 2023—so expect no active bug fixes or security updates, though the repository remains public and unarchived.

License in practice: Released under Apache License 2.0 (permissive), so you can use it freely in commercial and private projects with minimal legal constraints.

Quickstart:

import pyAesCrypt
password = "please-use-a-long-and-random-password"
pyAesCrypt.encryptFile("data.txt", "data.txt.aes", password)
pyAesCrypt.decryptFile("data.txt.aes", "dataout.txt", password)

Version 2 of the AES Crypt file format does not authenticate the file size modulo 16 byte, so an attacker with write access to the encrypted file may alter the plaintext file size by up to 15 bytes. Python has no low-level memory management, so sensitive information cannot be wiped from memory.

Verify before relying:

- Whether dormant maintenance status poses a practical risk for your use case, given no known vulnerabilities are currently recorded.
- Performance characteristics and suitability for large files or high-throughput scenarios.
- Current real-world adoption and whether the AES Crypt format version 2 limitations are acceptable for your threat model.

## Package facts

- License: Apache License 2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 215.8K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

AES file encryption, encrypt decrypt files python, AES256 CBC encryption, file encryption module, AES Crypt format, binary stream encryption, password-based file encryption, file-encryption, aes-crypt-format

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