PyNaCl: Python binding to the Networking and Cryptography (NaCl) library

1.6.2 · active · verified Sat Mar 28

PyNaCl is a Python binding to the Networking and Cryptography (NaCl) library, providing cryptographic operations such as digital signatures, secret-key and public-key encryption, hashing, and password-based key derivation. The current version is 1.6.2, released on January 1, 2026. PyNaCl follows a regular release cadence, with updates approximately every 1-2 years.

Warnings

breaking PyNaCl 1.6.2 requires Python 3.8 or higher.
Fix: Upgrade your Python installation to version 3.8 or higher.
gotcha Ensure that the 'libsodium' library is installed on your system, as PyNaCl depends on it for cryptographic operations.
Fix: Install the 'libsodium' library using your system's package manager or by following the installation instructions provided in the PyNaCl documentation.

Install

pip install pynacl Install PyNaCl

Imports

PublicKeyBox
```
from nacl.public import PublicKeyBox
```
Ensure correct import path to access PublicKeyBox class.
SecretBox
```
from nacl.secret import SecretBox
```
Ensure correct import path to access SecretBox class.
SigningKey
```
from nacl.signing import SigningKey
```
Ensure correct import path to access SigningKey class.
VerifyKey
```
from nacl.signing import VerifyKey
```
Ensure correct import path to access VerifyKey class.

Quickstart

This example demonstrates how to generate a private key, derive the corresponding public key, create a PublicKeyBox for encryption, and encrypt and decrypt a message using PyNaCl.

from nacl.public import PrivateKey, PublicKey, PublicKeyBox

# Generate a private key
private_key = PrivateKey.generate()

# Derive the corresponding public key
public_key = private_key.public_key

# Create a PublicKeyBox for encryption
box = PublicKeyBox(public_key)

# Encrypt a message
message = b"Secret message"
encrypted = box.encrypt(message)

# Decrypt the message
decrypted = box.decrypt(encrypted)
print(decrypted.decode())

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