zstd
ZSTD Bindings for Python
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need Zstd compression in Python and can meet the build dependencies (libzstd 1.4.0+, C99 compiler). The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and prebuilt wheels cover most platforms. No if you require streaming or dictionary support—the description explicitly notes these are not planned.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires libzstd development files (version 1.4.0+) and a C99-capable compiler (gcc >= 4.8) to build from source; prebuilt wheels available for many Python versions and platforms.
- Medium install friction due to compiled C extension requiring libzstd development files (version 1.4.0 or later) and a C99-capable compiler.
- Repository is actively maintained with recent commits, though the last release was 417 days ago.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD (permissive) — BSD license (permissive) places no significant restrictions on use, modification, or distribution in most contexts.
last release 2025-06-23 (417 days) · last repo commit 2026-07-11 · 187 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 9,461,676 downloads/mo, #1,532 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
import zstd
data = b'hello world'
compressed = zstd.compress(data)
decompressed = zstd.decompress(compressed)- Whether prebuilt wheels are available for your specific Python version and platform combination.
- Performance characteristics compared to alternative compression libraries in your use case.
- Current state of dictionary and streaming support, as the description notes these are not planned but may have changed.
What it is and what it does
Zstd is a Python wrapper around Yann Collet's Zstandard compression library, a modern lossless compression algorithm that balances compression ratio and speed for everyday use. It sits between extremes like LZMA (highest ratio) and LZ4 (extreme speed), making it suitable for general-purpose compression tasks.
The package provides simple, direct bindings to compress and decompress data. It has no runtime dependencies and works across Python 2.7 and modern Python 3 versions (3.4 through 3.14) on multiple platforms. Building from source requires libzstd development files and a C99-capable compiler; prebuilt wheels are available for most common configurations. The package is intentionally kept simple—dictionary and streaming support are not planned.
Use it for
- Compress data for storage or transmission when you need better speed than LZMA but better ratio than LZ4.
- Replace gzip or bzip2 compression in existing pipelines where Zstd's performance profile is beneficial.
- Compress Python objects or serialized data in applications requiring fast, standard-compatible compression.
- Build tools or utilities that need lossless compression without external command-line dependencies.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need Zstd compression in Python and can meet the build dependencies (libzstd 1.4.0+, C99 compiler).
The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and prebuilt wheels cover most platforms. No if you require streaming or dictionary support—the description explicitly notes these are not planned.
Install
zstd on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to compiled C extension requiring libzstd development files (version 1.4.0 or later) and a C99-capable compiler. Repository is actively maintained with recent commits, though the last release was 417 days ago.
Requires libzstd development files (version 1.4.0+) and a C99-capable compiler (gcc >= 4.8) to build from source; prebuilt wheels available for many Python versions and platforms.
License in practice
BSD license (permissive) places no significant restrictions on use, modification, or distribution in most contexts.
Quickstart
import zstd
data = b'hello world'
compressed = zstd.compress(data)
decompressed = zstd.decompress(compressed)Verify before relying
- Whether prebuilt wheels are available for your specific Python version and platform combination.
- Performance characteristics compared to alternative compression libraries in your use case.
- Current state of dictionary and streaming support, as the description notes these are not planned but may have changed.
Package facts
| License | BSD permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 417 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 9,461,676 / month, #1,532 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 :: DevelopersOperating System :: POSIXProgramming Language :: CProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9 |
Evidence: zstd-1.5.7.2-cp27-cp27m-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp27-cp27m-manylinux1_i686.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp27-cp27m-manylinux1_x86_64.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp27-cp27mu-manylinux1_i686.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp27-cp27mu-manylinux1_x86_64.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp27-cp27mu-manylinux_2_4_i686.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp27-cp27mu-manylinux_2_4_x86_64.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp310-cp310-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.manylinux_2_24_aarch64.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.manylinux_2_24_x86_64.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_4_i686.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_4_x86_64.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_5_i686.manylinux1_i686.manylinux_2_24_i686.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_i686.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp310-cp310-win32.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl; zstd-1.5.7.2-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_9_x86_64.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 › “zstd compression python”
- zstdProvides Python bindings to the Zstandard (Zstd) compression library,…
- zipfile-zstdExtends Python's standard zipfile module to read and write ZIP…
- backports.zstdProvides Zstandard compression support for Python versions before…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Utilities packages
Converts domain names between Unicode and ASCII-compatible encoding (Punycode) according to IDNA 2008 and Unicode Technical Standard 46, with security validation and broader script coverage than the standard library.
Install it if you work with internationalized domain names, need to validate domains, or use HTTP clients that depend on it transitively.
Detects and normalizes text encoding from unknown or ambiguous sources, supporting all IANA character sets that Python's core library provides codecs for, with the ability to register custom codecs.
Setuptools is a Python build backend and package management tool that handles building, distributing, and installing Python packages, including support for C/C++ extension modules.
Pluggy provides a plugin system that lets you define hook specifications and register implementations to be called in sequence, enabling extensible Python applications without tight coupling.
Install it if you're building an extensible application or framework.
Pygments is a syntax highlighter that colorizes source code and text in over 500 languages and formats, outputting to HTML, LaTeX, RTF, SVG, images, or ANSI terminal sequences.
Install it if you need to display or transform source code.
Six provides utility functions to write Python code that runs on both Python 2.7 and Python 3.3+, smoothing over language differences between the two versions.
See also pyvista-zstd · pyzstd · zstandard · zipfile-zstd · backports.zstd · pybcj · xpress8 · types-zstd · fastar · hdf5plugin