Faster zlib and gzip compatible compression and decompression by providing python bindings for the isa-l library.

This package provides Python bindings for the isa-l library. The Intel Infrastructure Storage Acceleration Library (isa-l) implements several key algorithms in assembly language. This includes a variety of functions to provide zlib/gzip-compatible compression.

python-isal provides the bindings by offering an isal_zlib and igzip module which are usable as drop-in replacements for the zlib and gzip modules from the stdlib (with some minor exceptions, see below).

isa-l version 2.26.0 or higher is needed. This includes bindings for the adler32 function.

isa-l is available in numerous Linux distro's as well as on conda via the conda-forge channel. Checkout the ports documentation on the isa-l project wiki to find out how to install it.

The latest development version of python-isal can be installed with

pip install git+https://github.com/rhpvorderman/python-isal.git

Python-isal has faster versions of the stdlib's zlib and gzip module these are called isal_zlib and igzip respectively.

They can be imported as follows

from isal import isal_zlib
from isal import igzip

isal_zlib and igzip were meant to be used as drop in replacements so their api and functions are the same as the stdlib's modules. Except where isa-l does not support the same calls as zlib (See differences below).

python -m isal.igzip implements a simple gzip-like command line application (just like python -m gzip).

• Compression level 0 in zlib and gzip means no compression, while in isal_zlib and igzip this is the lowest compression level. This is a design choice that was inherited from the isa-l library.
• Compression levels range from 0 to 3, not 1 to 9.
• isal_zlib.crc32 and isal_zlib.adler32 do not support negative numbers for the value parameter.
• zlib.Z_DEFAULT_STRATEGY, zlib.Z_RLE etc. are exposed as isal_zlib.Z_DEFAULT_STRATEGY, isal_zlib.Z_RLE etc. for compatibility reasons. However, isal_zlib only supports a default strategy and will give warnings when other strategies are used.
• zlib supports different memory levels from 1 to 9 (with 8 default). isal_zlib supports memory levels smallest, small, medium, large and largest. These have been mapped to levels 1, 2-3, 4-6, 7-8 and 9. So isal_zlib can be used with zlib compatible memory levels.
• isal_zlib only supports FLUSH, SYNC_FLUSH and FULL_FLUSH FINISH is aliased to FULL_FLUSH (and works correctly as such).
• isal_zlib has a compressobj and decompressobj implementation. However, the unused_data and unconsumed_tail for the Decompress object, only work properly when using gzip compatible compression. (25 <= wbits <= 31).
• The flush implementation for the Compress object behavious differently from the zlib equivalent.

Please make a PR or issue if you feel anything can be improved. Bug reports are also very welcome. Please report them on the github issue tracker.