xxhash
Python binding for xxHash
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. xxhash is actively maintained, widely used (top 1000 on PyPI), has no known vulnerabilities, and offers a permissive license. Install it if you need fast non-cryptographic hashing; avoid it only if you require cryptographic security or have no hashing performance constraints.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.9 or later; C compiler and development headers needed only if installing from source.
- Medium install friction due to compiled C extension wheels; prebuilt binaries available for common platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows across multiple architectures).
- Actively maintained with recent release.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD-2-Clause (permissive) — BSD-2-Clause permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
last release 2026-08-12 (2 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-13 · 465 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 177,383,915 downloads/mo, #235 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install xxhash
import xxhash
# One-shot hashing
digest = xxhash.xxh64_hexdigest(b'data')
# Streaming
h = xxhash.xxh64()
h.update(b'data')
result = h.hexdigest()- Performance characteristics compared to built-in hashlib for typical use cases
- Memory overhead of streaming hash objects versus one-shot functions in production workloads
What it is and what it does
xxhash is a Python binding to the xxHash C library, a non-cryptographic hashing algorithm optimized for speed and data integrity checking rather than security. It provides xxh32, xxh64, and xxh3 hash functions in both streaming (stateful) and one-shot (stateless) forms, with a hashlib-compatible interface. The package includes thread-safe streaming objects with per-object locking and offers methods like update(), digest(), hexdigest(), and intdigest() for flexible output formats.
The library is designed for use cases where you need fast hashing for checksums, deduplication, or hash tables—not for cryptographic purposes. It supports optional seeds for predictable variation and is available as precompiled wheels for most platforms, though it can also be built from source to link against a system xxHash library.
Use it for
- Computing fast checksums for data integrity verification in pipelines or file transfers
- Deduplication systems that need to hash large files or data streams efficiently
- Hash-based caching or memoization where speed matters more than cryptographic strength
- Building hash tables or bloom filters that require non-cryptographic hashing
- Benchmarking or profiling code where hashing overhead should be minimal
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
xxhash is actively maintained, widely used (top 1000 on PyPI), has no known vulnerabilities, and offers a permissive license. Install it if you need fast non-cryptographic hashing; avoid it only if you require cryptographic security or have no hashing performance constraints.
Install
xxhash on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to compiled C extension wheels; prebuilt binaries available for common platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows across multiple architectures). Actively maintained with recent release.
Requires Python 3.9 or later; C compiler and development headers needed only if installing from source.
License in practice
BSD-2-Clause permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
Quickstart
pip install xxhash
import xxhash
# One-shot hashing
digest = xxhash.xxh64_hexdigest(b'data')
# Streaming
h = xxhash.xxh64()
h.update(b'data')
result = h.hexdigest()Verify before relying
- Performance characteristics compared to built-in hashlib for typical use cases
- Memory overhead of streaming hash objects versus one-shot functions in production workloads
Package facts
| License | BSD-2-Clause permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.9 |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 2 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 177,383,915 / month, #235 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 :: DevelopersProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: 3.15Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Free Threading :: 1 - UnstableProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPython |
Evidence: xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux1_i686.manylinux_2_28_i686.manylinux_2_5_i686.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux2014_aarch64.manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux2014_armv7l.manylinux_2_17_armv7l.manylinux_2_31_armv7l.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux2014_ppc64le.manylinux_2_17_ppc64le.manylinux_2_28_ppc64le.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux2014_s390x.manylinux_2_17_s390x.manylinux_2_28_s390x.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux2014_x86_64.manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_31_riscv64.manylinux_2_39_riscv64.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_armv7l.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_i686.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_ppc64le.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_riscv64.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_s390x.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-win32.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp310-cp310-win_arm64.whl; xxhash-4.0.0-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl
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