---
id: pybytebuffer
version: "1.0.5"
license: GPL 3.0
license_treatment: copyleft
maintenance: abandoned
---

# PyByteBuffer — A bytes manipulation library inspired by Java ByteBuffer

License: copyleft · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 1.5M/mo

## What it is and what it does

PyByteBuffer is a bytes manipulation library modeled after Java's java.nio.ByteBuffer. It wraps Python's byte handling to provide a familiar API for developers coming from Java, with methods to allocate buffers, write and read data at a tracked position, and control endianness during conversions. The library handles single bytes, byte arrays, strings, and multi-byte integers with explicit byte-order specification.

The package has no external runtime dependencies and installs cleanly, but it is no longer maintained. The last commit was 2020-10-25, and no updates have been released since 2020-12-28. While it may still work on current Python versions, it will not receive bug fixes, security patches, or compatibility updates for future Python releases.

Use it for:

- Porting Java code that uses ByteBuffer to Python while preserving the original API and logic
- Implementing binary protocol parsers or network packet handlers that require precise byte-order control
- Building low-level serialization or deserialization routines for binary file formats
- Prototyping or learning byte-level data manipulation with a familiar Java-style interface

## Worth the install?

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

PyByteBuffer provides Java ByteBuffer-style buffer manipulation for Python, allowing you to allocate, read, and write bytes with position tracking and endianness control.

No, unless you have a specific legacy requirement. The package is abandoned and will not receive updates or security patches. For new projects, use Python's built-in capabilities for byte manipulation, which are actively maintained. The copyleft GPL 3.0 license also restricts use in proprietary code.

## Install

pip install pybytebuffer
uv add pybytebuffer
poetry add pybytebuffer

## Installing PyByteBuffer

Before you install: Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is abandoned—last commit was 2020-10-25 and no releases since 2020-12-28. It remains compatible with modern Python versions but will receive no maintenance or security updates.

License in practice: PyByteBuffer is licensed under GPL 3.0 (copyleft). Any code that imports and uses this library must also be licensed under GPL 3.0 or a compatible copyleft license, which may restrict commercial or proprietary use.

Quickstart:

pip install PyByteBuffer

from PyByteBuffer import ByteBuffer

buf = ByteBuffer.allocate(50)
buf.put(0x10)
buf.put([0xcc, 0xdd, 0xee])
value = buf.get(1)

Verify before relying:

- Whether performance characteristics claimed in the description (int↔bytes conversion benchmarks) remain relevant or have been superseded by Python standard library improvements
- Compatibility with Python versions released after 3.7 (classifiers list only up to 3.7)

## Package facts

- License: GPL 3.0 (copyleft)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 1.5M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

byte buffer manipulation, java bytebuffer python, binary data packing unpacking, endian conversion, bytes position tracking, hex buffer parsing, low-level byte operations, binary-data, abandoned

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/pybytebuffer) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/pybytebuffer/)