turbojpeg

What it is and what it does

turbojpeg is a thin Python wrapper around libjpeg-turbo's C API, built with pybind11. It exposes three core functions: transform (for lossless JPEG operations like rotation), compress (to encode image arrays as JPEG), and decompress (to decode JPEG data). The package is designed for developers who need fast JPEG processing and want direct access to libjpeg-turbo's performance and feature set.

The package ships precompiled wheels for multiple platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux), reducing installation friction compared to building from source. However, it has not been updated since its latest release on 2023-08-06, and the license is not clearly declared in the metadata. It carries no runtime dependencies beyond the bundled libjpeg-turbo binaries.

Use it for:

• Rotate or flip JPEG images losslessly without recompression artifacts
• Compress numpy arrays to JPEG format with quality and sampling control
• Decompress JPEG files into raw image data for processing pipelines
• Batch process images using arithmetic coding or other TurboJPEG features
• Integrate high-performance JPEG operations into image processing workflows

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Python bindings for libjpeg-turbo that provide lossless JPEG transformation, compression, and decompression using the TurboJPEG C API Version 3.

Yes, if you need direct access to libjpeg-turbo's JPEG operations and your platform is among those with precompiled wheels. Verify the license first. The aging maintenance status (no releases since 2023-08-06) is a minor concern if the functionality is stable and meets your needs, but monitor for security issues or compatibility problems with future Python versions.

Install

turbojpeg on PyPI

pip install turbojpeg

uv add turbojpeg

poetry add turbojpeg

Installing turbojpeg

Before you install

Medium install friction due to compiled wheels for multiple platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux variants). Package is aging—last release was over a year ago, though the repository remains active with recent commits. No runtime dependencies to manage.

License in practice

License treatment is unclear; the package metadata does not specify an SPDX identifier or raw license text. Verify the actual license before use in proprietary or restricted contexts.

Quickstart

import turbojpeg

with open("image.jpg", "rb") as fr:
    img_data = fr.read()

img_data_rot = turbojpeg.transform(img_data, op=turbojpeg.OP.ROT90)

with open("image-rotated.jpg", "xb") as fw:
    fw.write(img_data_rot)

Requires libjpeg-turbo binaries; precompiled wheels are provided for Windows (32/64-bit), macOS (x86_64/arm64), manylinux, and musllinux platforms. Requires Python >=3.7.

Verify before relying

• Whether the unclear license is compatible with your project's licensing requirements
• Performance characteristics compared to other JPEG libraries in your use case
• Whether all platform wheels are actively tested and stable

Package facts

Evidence: turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp310-cp310-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_1_x86_64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp310-cp310-win32.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp311-cp311-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp311-cp311-musllinux_1_1_x86_64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp311-cp311-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp311-cp311-win32.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp311-cp311-win_amd64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp312-cp312-macosx_10_13_x86_64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp312-cp312-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp312-cp312-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp312-cp312-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp312-cp312-win32.whl; turbojpeg-0.0.2-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl

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