Protobuf 3 to Python Dict Converter

0.1.5 · active · verified Thu Apr 09

A Python library designed to convert Protocol Buffer 3 messages into standard Python dictionaries and vice-versa. It is particularly useful as an intermediate step for serialization tasks, such as converting Protobuf messages to JSON. The library is a Python 3 adaptation of an earlier project and currently maintains version 0.1.5, with infrequent updates.

Warnings

gotcha The library is installed as `protobuf3-to-dict` but imported as `protobuf_to_dict`. This is a common source of 'ModuleNotFoundError'.
Fix: Ensure your import statements use `from protobuf_to_dict import ...` after running `pip install protobuf3-to-dict`.
breaking This library explicitly targets Protobuf 3 and Python 3. Despite PyPI's `requires_python: None` metadata for some older versions, it is not compatible with Python 2.x environments.
Fix: Ensure your project is running on Python 3.6 or later.
gotcha The library strictly pins its `protobuf` dependency to `protobuf==3.19.4`. Using a different version of the `protobuf` library in your environment may lead to unexpected behavior or `ImportError` issues.
Fix: Adhere to the specified `protobuf==3.19.4` dependency. If you require a different `protobuf` version, carefully test for compatibility or consider alternative conversion libraries.
gotcha Unlike `google.protobuf.json_format.MessageToDict` which defaults to converting field names to `camelCase`, `protobuf3-to-dict` preserves the original Protobuf field names (e.g., `snake_case`) in the resulting Python dictionary.
Fix: Be aware of the naming convention when comparing outputs or migrating from other Protobuf-to-dict conversion methods. If `camelCase` is required, manual post-processing of the dictionary will be necessary.
gotcha To convert your own custom Protobuf messages, you must first install the `protoc` compiler and use it to generate Python classes from your `.proto` files. This library works with the generated Python Protobuf classes.
Fix: Install `protoc` (e.g., via your OS package manager or by downloading from GitHub) and run `protoc --python_out=. your_message.proto` to generate `your_message_pb2.py`.

Install

pip install protobuf3-to-dict Install stable version

Imports

protobuf_to_dict

from protobuf_to_dict import protobuf_to_dict

dict_to_protobuf

from protobuf_to_dict import dict_to_protobuf

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates converting a `google.protobuf.Timestamp` message to a Python dictionary and back. For custom Protobuf messages, you would first need to compile your `.proto` files into Python classes using the `protoc` compiler.

from google.protobuf.timestamp_pb2 import Timestamp
from protobuf_to_dict import protobuf_to_dict, dict_to_protobuf
import datetime

# Create a Protobuf Timestamp message
dt_obj = datetime.datetime.now(datetime.timezone.utc)
timestamp_msg = Timestamp()
timestamp_msg.FromDatetime(dt_obj)

print(f"Original Protobuf Timestamp: {timestamp_msg}")

# Convert Protobuf message to Python dictionary
data_dict = protobuf_to_dict(timestamp_msg)
print(f"Converted dictionary: {data_dict}")

# Convert dictionary back to Protobuf message
new_timestamp_msg = dict_to_protobuf(Timestamp, data_dict)
print(f"Converted back to Protobuf: {new_timestamp_msg}")

# Verify conversion
assert new_timestamp_msg.seconds == timestamp_msg.seconds
assert new_timestamp_msg.nanos == timestamp_msg.nanos
print("Conversion verified successfully!")

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