starkbank-ecdsa
A lightweight and fast pure python ECDSA library
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need pure Python ECDSA without compiled dependencies and can accept the performance trade-off versus C-based libraries. Install it for financial transaction signing, blockchain work, or any system requiring OpenSSL compatibility in a Python-only environment. Skip it if you need maximum signing/verification speed and can use compiled alternatives.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low install friction with no runtime dependencies.
- Active maintenance with recent commits and a stable release history since 2018-09-02.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT License (permissive) — MIT License permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in both open-source and proprietary projects.
last release 2026-04-23 (113 days) · last repo commit 2026-04-23 · 140 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 8,177,955 downloads/mo, #1,656 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install starkbank-ecdsa
from starkbank_ecdsa import PrivateKey, Ecdsa
privateKey = PrivateKey()
publicKey = privateKey.publicKey()
message = "My test message"
signature = Ecdsa.sign(message, privateKey)
print(Ecdsa.verify(message, signature, publicKey))- Whether verification performance meets your application's latency requirements
- Compatibility with Python 2.7 support status and whether that matters for your deployment environment
- Whether the library's security features (hedged RFC 6979, low-S normalization, Montgomery ladder) are sufficient for your threat model
What it is and what it does
Starkbank-ECDSA is a pure Python elliptic curve digital signature algorithm library designed to balance speed and portability. It implements ECDSA signing and verification for secp256k1 and prime256v1 curves with no compiled dependencies, making it suitable for environments that require pure Python code. The library achieves performance through mathematical optimizations including Jacobian coordinates, Montgomery ladder scalar multiplication, and precomputed generator multiples, while maintaining security features including hedged RFC 6979 nonces, low-S normalization, on-curve validation, and timing-attack mitigation.
The package is fully compatible with OpenSSL-generated keys and signatures, allowing interoperation with standard cryptographic tools. It supports key import/export in PEM format and compressed public key representation. Primary use cases include signing and verifying messages for financial transactions, blockchain operations, and applications requiring deterministic ECDSA signatures without C extensions.
Use it for
- Sign and verify transaction messages for banking or payment systems with OpenSSL-compatible keys
- Generate and manage ECDSA key pairs for blockchain or cryptocurrency applications using secp256k1
- Verify digitally signed documents in environments where pure Python code is mandatory
- Interoperate with OpenSSL-generated ECDSA signatures in Python-only infrastructure
- Implement deterministic RFC 6979 signing for applications requiring reproducible signatures
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need pure Python ECDSA without compiled dependencies and can accept the performance trade-off versus C-based libraries.
Install it for financial transaction signing, blockchain work, or any system requiring OpenSSL compatibility in a Python-only environment. Skip it if you need maximum signing/verification speed and can use compiled alternatives.
Install
starkbank-ecdsa on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. Active maintenance with recent commits and a stable release history since 2018-09-02.
License in practice
MIT License permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in both open-source and proprietary projects.
Quickstart
pip install starkbank-ecdsa
from starkbank_ecdsa import PrivateKey, Ecdsa
privateKey = PrivateKey()
publicKey = privateKey.publicKey()
message = "My test message"
signature = Ecdsa.sign(message, privateKey)
print(Ecdsa.verify(message, signature, publicKey))Verify before relying
- Whether verification performance meets your application's latency requirements
- Compatibility with Python 2.7 support status and whether that matters for your deployment environment
- Whether the library's security features (hedged RFC 6979, low-S normalization, Montgomery ladder) are sufficient for your threat model
Package facts
| License | MIT License permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release !=3.0.*,!=3.1.*,!=3.2.*,!=3.3.*,>=2.7 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 113 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 8,177,955 / month, #1,656 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
Evidence: starkbank_ecdsa-2.3.1-py3-none-any.whl
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