tacacs_plus
A client for TACACS+ authentication
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No, unless you are maintaining legacy code already integrated with TACACS+. The package is abandoned (last release August 2018, no commits since 2023-08-30), has no runtime dependencies but also no active support, and the protocol itself has known cryptographic weaknesses. For existing TACACS+ deployments, use only if already in production and evaluate the security implications of the weak encryption.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires a reachable TACACS+ server (typically port 49) and a pre-shared encryption key for communication.
- Low install friction with no runtime dependencies.
- However, the package is archived and abandoned as of 2023-08-30, with no maintenance activity since its last release in August 2018.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD (permissive) — Licensed under BSD (permissive), allowing use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions. No licensing concerns for most deployment scenarios.
last release 2018-08-20 (2916 days) · last repo commit 2023-08-30 · 85 stars · archived
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 134,201 downloads/mo, #11,484 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install tacacs_plus
from tacacs_plus.client import TACACSClient
import socket
cli = TACACSClient('host', 49, 'secret', timeout=10, family=socket.AF_INET)
authen = cli.authenticate('username', 'password')
print("PASS!" if authen.valid else "FAIL!")- Current compatibility with modern Python versions beyond 3.6 (classifiers list 3.4–3.6 only).
- Whether the weak encryption noted in the description affects deployments on untrusted networks.
- Compatibility with recent versions of tac_plus or other TACACS+ server implementations.
What it is and what it does
tacacs_plus is a TACACS+ client for Python that implements the full AAA (authentication, authorization, accounting) protocol. It provides both a programmatic API via the TACACSClient class and a command-line tool (tacacs_client) for interacting with TACACS+ servers. The library supports three authentication methods—ASCII, PAP, and CHAP—and can authorize commands and log accounting events to a TACACS+ server.
The package has no external runtime dependencies and installs as a pure Python wheel. However, it is no longer maintained: the repository was archived in 2023 after its last release in August 2018. The description explicitly warns that TACACS+ packet encryption, designed decades ago, is not cryptographically secure and should not be used over untrusted networks. It is suitable only for legacy network infrastructure already committed to TACACS+ and operating in controlled environments.
Use it for
- Authenticate network device administrators against a centralized TACACS+ server in legacy enterprise environments.
- Authorize shell commands or Junos-exec operations on network devices via TACACS+ AV pairs.
- Log accounting events (start, stop, watchdog) for command execution on network devices to a TACACS+ server.
- Integrate TACACS+ authentication into Python-based network management or automation tools.
- Query a TACACS+ server from a custom CLI tool or script for user credential validation.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No, unless you are maintaining legacy code already integrated with TACACS+.
The package is abandoned (last release August 2018, no commits since 2023-08-30), has no runtime dependencies but also no active support, and the protocol itself has known cryptographic weaknesses. For existing TACACS+ deployments, use only if already in production and evaluate the security implications of the weak encryption.
Install
tacacs-plus on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is archived and abandoned as of 2023-08-30, with no maintenance activity since its last release in August 2018. Use only in legacy environments where TACACS+ integration is already established.
Requires a reachable TACACS+ server (typically port 49) and a pre-shared encryption key for communication.
License in practice
Licensed under BSD (permissive), allowing use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions. No licensing concerns for most deployment scenarios.
Quickstart
pip install tacacs_plus
from tacacs_plus.client import TACACSClient
import socket
cli = TACACSClient('host', 49, 'secret', timeout=10, family=socket.AF_INET)
authen = cli.authenticate('username', 'password')
print("PASS!" if authen.valid else "FAIL!")Verify before relying
- Current compatibility with modern Python versions beyond 3.6 (classifiers list 3.4–3.6 only).
- Whether the weak encryption noted in the description affects deployments on untrusted networks.
- Compatibility with recent versions of tac_plus or other TACACS+ server implementations.
Package facts
| License | BSD permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 2,916 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | repository archived |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 134,201 / month, #11,484 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/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: System AdministratorsLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseOperating System :: MacOS :: MacOS XOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIXProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPy |
Evidence: tacacs_plus-2.6-py2.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 › “tacacs+ client library”
- tacacs_plusA TACACS+ client library and command-line tool for authentication,…
- conjure-python-clientA lightweight HTTP client library built on requests that handles RPC…
- paypalhttpPayPalHttp is a generic HTTP client library designed to work with…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Networking packages
h11 is a pure-Python HTTP/1.1 protocol implementation that handles parsing and serializing HTTP messages without any built-in I/O, letting you integrate it with any network layer you choose.
psutil retrieves real-time information about running processes and system resources (CPU, memory, disks, network, sensors) across multiple operating systems, enabling system monitoring, process profiling, and resource management.
pyOpenSSL wraps OpenSSL's SSL/TLS functionality for Python, providing high-level connection objects and certificate handling through a Python-friendly interface around OpenSSL's cryptographic operations.
uvloop is a drop-in replacement for Python's built-in asyncio event loop, implemented in Cython and using libuv, that accelerates async I/O operations.
execnet lets you spawn and communicate with Python interpreters across local processes, remote hosts, and different platforms, using a simple API for task distribution and inter-process messaging.
However, the aging maintenance status (275 days since last release) means you should verify it meets your concurrency and performance needs before committing to a…
PyZMQ provides Python bindings for ZeroMQ (ØMQ), a lightweight messaging library that enables fast, asynchronous communication between distributed processes and applications.
See also pyrad · tink · crypto · oscrypto · pysnmpcrypto · iptools · netaddr · pyspnego · srp · aioping