rfc3161-client
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. The library is actively maintained, production-stable, has no known vulnerabilities, and solves a specific RFC 3161 compliance need. The permissive Apache 2.0 license and broad platform support (cp39-abi3 wheels) make adoption straightforward. Medium install friction is acceptable for a specialized cryptographic tool. Install if you need RFC 3161 timestamping; skip if you don't need protocol-compliant timestamp verification.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.9+; network requests must be handled separately (library does not perform network activity).
- Medium install friction due to compiled Rust bindings (cp39-abi3 wheels across multiple platforms).
- Active maintenance with recent release 16 days old and ongoing repository activity.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Apache 2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; attribution required.
last release 2026-07-29 (16 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-10 · 7 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 899,290 downloads/mo, #4,778 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
from rfc3161_client import TimestampRequestBuilder, decode_timestamp_response
message = b"Hello, World!"
timestamp_request = TimestampRequestBuilder().data(message).build()
# Send timestamp_request.as_bytes() to TSA server via your HTTP client
# Then decode the response:
timestamp_response = decode_timestamp_response(response_content)- Whether the library supports all hash algorithms or only a subset of RFC 3161 options.
- Performance characteristics when verifying timestamps against large certificate sets.
- Compatibility with non-standard or legacy TSA servers beyond RFC 3161 compliance.
What it is and what it does
rfc3161-client is a Python library that implements the Time-Stamp Protocol (TSP) from RFC 3161, enabling you to create timestamp requests and verify timestamp responses from Time-Stamp Authorities (TSAs). The library is built on Rust bindings (via PyO3) for performance and correctness, wrapping ASN.1 encoding/decoding and cryptographic operations. It depends on cryptography for certificate handling.
The library provides two main workflows: building a timestamp request to send to a TSA server (which you must handle via your own HTTP client), and verifying the returned timestamp response against a set of trusted root certificates. It does not perform network activity itself—you control how requests are sent and responses are fetched. This design keeps the library focused on protocol correctness rather than network concerns.
Use it for
- Build RFC 3161 timestamp requests to submit to a Time-Stamp Authority server for non-repudiation proof.
- Verify timestamp responses from TSAs against trusted root certificates to validate authenticity.
- Add cryptographic timestamping to document signing workflows to prove when a document existed.
- Validate the authenticity of timestamped data by verifying the TSA's signature chain.
- Integrate timestamping into compliance or audit logging systems requiring proof of time.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
The library is actively maintained, production-stable, has no known vulnerabilities, and solves a specific RFC 3161 compliance need. The permissive Apache 2.0 license and broad platform support (cp39-abi3 wheels) make adoption straightforward. Medium install friction is acceptable for a specialized cryptographic tool. Install if you need RFC 3161 timestamping; skip if you don't need protocol-compliant timestamp verification.
Install
rfc3161-client on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to compiled Rust bindings (cp39-abi3 wheels across multiple platforms). Active maintenance with recent release 16 days old and ongoing repository activity.
Requires Python 3.9+; network requests must be handled separately (library does not perform network activity).
License in practice
Apache 2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; attribution required.
Quickstart
from rfc3161_client import TimestampRequestBuilder, decode_timestamp_response
message = b"Hello, World!"
timestamp_request = TimestampRequestBuilder().data(message).build()
# Send timestamp_request.as_bytes() to TSA server via your HTTP client
# Then decode the response:
timestamp_response = decode_timestamp_response(response_content)Verify before relying
- Whether the library supports all hash algorithms or only a subset of RFC 3161 options.
- Performance characteristics when verifying timestamps against large certificate sets.
- Compatibility with non-standard or legacy TSA servers beyond RFC 3161 compliance.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.9 |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagecryptography |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 16 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 899,290 / month, #4,778 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software LicenseProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyProgramming Language :: RustTyping :: Typed |
Evidence: rfc3161_client-1.0.8-cp39-abi3-macosx_10_12_x86_64.whl; rfc3161_client-1.0.8-cp39-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; rfc3161_client-1.0.8-cp39-abi3-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl; rfc3161_client-1.0.8-cp39-abi3-manylinux_2_17_armv7l.manylinux2014_armv7l.whl; rfc3161_client-1.0.8-cp39-abi3-manylinux_2_17_i686.manylinux2014_i686.whl; rfc3161_client-1.0.8-cp39-abi3-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; rfc3161_client-1.0.8-cp39-abi3-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl; rfc3161_client-1.0.8-cp39-abi3-musllinux_1_2_armv7l.whl; rfc3161_client-1.0.8-cp39-abi3-musllinux_1_2_i686.whl; rfc3161_client-1.0.8-cp39-abi3-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl; rfc3161_client-1.0.8-cp39-abi3-win32.whl; rfc3161_client-1.0.8-cp39-abi3-win_amd64.whl
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See also rfc3161ng · opentimestamps · opentimestamps-client · rfc3339 · pyRFC3339 · uuid7-standard · asn1crypto · uuid6 · ocspresponder · requests-pkcs12