ropper
Show information about files in different file formats and find gadgets to build rop chains for different architectures.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you are doing ROP exploit development or binary security research. The tool has low install friction, permissive licensing, and covers multiple architectures and file formats. However, the aging maintenance status (532 days since last release) means you should verify compatibility with your target binaries and consider whether the tool's gadget search capabilities meet your specific constraints before committing to it.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires capstone and filebytes as runtime dependencies; optional semantic search features require pyvex and z3py.
- Low install friction with only two runtime dependencies (filebytes and capstone).
- The package is aging—last release was 532 days ago—but the repository remains active and unarchived with steady maintenance signals.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD (permissive) — BSD license is permissive, allowing use in most contexts without significant restrictions on derivative works or commercial use.
last release 2025-02-28 (532 days) · last repo commit 2025-02-28 · 2,141 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 78,790 downloads/mo, #14,405 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install ropper
ropper --file /bin/ls --search "pop eax; ret"- Whether the aging maintenance status (532 days since last release) affects stability or security posture for current binary formats.
- Performance characteristics when scanning large binaries or searching across many gadgets.
- Compatibility with modern binary protection mechanisms beyond CFG mentioned in the description.
What it is and what it does
Ropper is a command-line tool for analyzing binary files and discovering ROP (return-oriented programming) gadgets. It reads ELF, PE, Mach-O, and raw binary formats, extracts file metadata like sections and imports, and searches for instruction sequences that can be chained together to build exploits. The tool supports multiple architectures including x86, x86_64, ARM, ARM64, MIPS, PowerPC, and SPARC64, using capstone for disassembly and filebytes for file parsing.
The core use case is security research and exploit development: finding gadgets that satisfy specific constraints (register assignments, memory operations, arithmetic) to construct ROP chains for privilege escalation or code execution. It includes built-in chain generators for common payloads like execve and mprotect on Linux x86/x86_64, and can filter gadgets by bad bytes, instruction count, and CFG compatibility on Windows PE files.
Use it for
- Search for specific gadget patterns (e.g., 'pop eax; ret') in a binary to build exploit payloads.
- Analyze binary file structure and imports to understand dependencies and entry points.
- Find stack pivot gadgets or pop-pop-ret sequences for ROP chain construction on x86/x86_64.
- Generate complete ROP chains for execve or mprotect syscalls on Linux binaries.
- Examine sections and segments of ELF, PE, or Mach-O files to locate code and data regions.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you are doing ROP exploit development or binary security research.
The tool has low install friction, permissive licensing, and covers multiple architectures and file formats. However, the aging maintenance status (532 days since last release) means you should verify compatibility with your target binaries and consider whether the tool's gadget search capabilities meet your specific constraints before committing to it.
Install
ropper on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with only two runtime dependencies (filebytes and capstone). The package is aging—last release was 532 days ago—but the repository remains active and unarchived with steady maintenance signals.
Requires capstone and filebytes as runtime dependencies; optional semantic search features require pyvex and z3py.
License in practice
BSD license is permissive, allowing use in most contexts without significant restrictions on derivative works or commercial use.
Quickstart
pip install ropper
ropper --file /bin/ls --search "pop eax; ret"Verify before relying
- Whether the aging maintenance status (532 days since last release) affects stability or security posture for current binary formats.
- Performance characteristics when scanning large binaries or searching across many gadgets.
- Compatibility with modern binary protection mechanisms beyond CFG mentioned in the description.
Package facts
| License | BSD permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagesfilebytescapstone |
| Maintenance | Aging 532 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 78,790 / month, #14,405 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Environment :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonTopic :: Security |
Evidence: ropper-1.13.13-py3-none-any.whl
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “rop gadget finder”
- ropperRopper displays binary file metadata and searches for ROP gadgets…
- ROPGadgetROPGadget searches for ROP (Return-Oriented Programming) gadgets in…
- pwntoolsPwntools is a CTF framework and exploit development library providing…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Security packages
Provides Python bindings to the FreeDesktop.org Secret Service API for securely storing and retrieving passwords and secrets through GNOME Keyring, KWallet, or KeePassXC.
MSAL for Python handles OAuth2 and OpenID Connect authentication with Microsoft identity services, managing token acquisition, caching, and refresh for applications integrating with Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Accounts, and Azure AD B2C.
joserfc implements JOSE standards (JWS, JWE, JWK, JWT, and related RFCs) for signing, encrypting, and managing JSON-based cryptographic tokens in Python.
Authlib provides a complete implementation of OAuth 1.0, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect 1.0 for building both authentication clients and servers, with built-in support for JWS, JWK, JWA, and JWT standards.
Provides low-level CFFI bindings to the official Argon2 password hashing algorithm for use by libraries and applications that need direct access to Argon2 without higher-level abstractions.
ADAL for Python authenticates applications with Azure Active Directory to obtain tokens for accessing Azure AD-protected resources.
Install only if maintaining existing code that already depends on it, and plan a migration.
See also ROPGadget · keystone-engine · malduck · binsize · smda · cle · archinfo · membrowse · capstone · macholib