serpent
Serialization based on ast.literal_eval
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need safe, human-readable serialization and can accept the constraint that circular object references are not supported. The zero-dependency installation, active maintenance, permissive license, and lack of known vulnerabilities make it a solid choice for configuration, logging, and cross-language data exchange. Not suitable if you need binary efficiency or must serialize arbitrary object graphs.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.2 or later; cannot serialize object graphs (circular references will raise ValueError).
- Low friction: pure Python wheel with no runtime dependencies.
- Actively maintained with a recent release; last commit 2026-05-30 and status marked active.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license (permissive) means you can use, modify, and distribute serpent freely in commercial or private projects as long as you retain the copyright notice and license text.
last release 2026-05-30 (76 days) · last repo commit 2026-05-30 · 55 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 663,667 downloads/mo, #5,435 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
import serpent
data = {'names': ['Alice', 'Bob'], 'count': 42}
ser_bytes = serpent.dumps(data)
obj = serpent.loads(ser_bytes)- Performance characteristics compared to alternative serialization formats in typical workloads.
- Whether cross-language interoperability (Java and .NET) is actively maintained and tested.
- Handling of very large objects or deeply nested structures in practice.
What it is and what it does
Serpent is a serialization library that converts Python objects into human-readable, executable Python source code (literals) that can be safely deserialized using ast.literal_eval(). Unlike pickle, which has known security risks, serpent produces text that is safe to transport over networks or store in files because it only recreates literal values—no arbitrary code execution occurs during deserialization.
The library extends basic repr() and literal_eval() by adding automatic serialization for types like uuid, datetime, array, and decimal, encoding bytes as base-64, and allowing pretty-printed output with comments. It's designed for scenarios where human readability, safety, and cross-platform compatibility matter more than performance. Serpent also has implementations in Java and .NET, enabling data exchange between Python, Java, and C# ecosystems.
Use it for
- Serialize configuration or data files that humans need to read and edit while maintaining type safety.
- Exchange structured data between Python, Java, and .NET services without security risks of pickle.
- Store application state or cache data in a format that survives code changes and is auditable.
- Debug and log complex object structures in a readable, executable format.
- Build a lightweight data protocol for inter-process communication where JSON's type limitations are insufficient.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need safe, human-readable serialization and can accept the constraint that circular object references are not supported.
The zero-dependency installation, active maintenance, permissive license, and lack of known vulnerabilities make it a solid choice for configuration, logging, and cross-language data exchange. Not suitable if you need binary efficiency or must serialize arbitrary object graphs.
Install
serpent on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction: pure Python wheel with no runtime dependencies. Actively maintained with a recent release; last commit 2026-05-30 and status marked active.
Requires Python 3.2 or later; cannot serialize object graphs (circular references will raise ValueError).
License in practice
MIT license (permissive) means you can use, modify, and distribute serpent freely in commercial or private projects as long as you retain the copyright notice and license text.
Quickstart
import serpent
data = {'names': ['Alice', 'Bob'], 'count': 42}
ser_bytes = serpent.dumps(data)
obj = serpent.loads(ser_bytes)Verify before relying
- Performance characteristics compared to alternative serialization formats in typical workloads.
- Whether cross-language interoperability (Java and .NET) is actively maintained and tested.
- Handling of very large objects or deeply nested structures in practice.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.2 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 76 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 663,667 / month, #5,435 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 :: MIT LicenseNatural Language :: EnglishOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonTopic :: Software Development |
Evidence: serpent-1.43-py3-none-any.whl
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