prison

library0.2.1pypypi✓ verified 27d ago

"prison" is a Python library providing an encoder and decoder for the Rison data serialization format. Rison (Recursive object notation) is a compact, URL-safe data format designed for representing simple data structures, often used in URLs. The current version is 0.2.1. The library is largely feature-complete for the Rison specification and has a low release cadence.

serialization

pip install prison

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · PRISON

prison

serializationpythonv0.2.1

Install

1.6s avg

Import

13ms

Disk

16MB

Pass rate

10/ 10

Env Coverage10 / 10

glibc

3.9–3.13

musl

3.9–3.13

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v0.2.1 · pip install

no network on importno background threads

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

py 3.10–3.95 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 0.0s · import 0.014s · 17.9MB

glibc

py 3.10–3.95 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 1.6s · import 0.012s · 18MB

16MB installed

● package 16MB

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

loads

✓ from prison import loads

dumps

✓ from prison import dumps

Demonstrates encoding a Python dictionary to a Rison string and then decoding it back. Rison is optimized for URL-safe representation of simple data structures.

import prison data = {'name': 'Alice', 'age': 30, 'tags': ['dev', 'python']} # Encode Python dict to Rison string rison_string = prison.dumps(data) print(f"Encoded Rison: {rison_string}") # Expected: (name:Alice,age:30,tags:!(dev,python)) # Decode Rison string back to Python dict decoded_data = prison.loads(rison_string) print(f"Decoded data: {decoded_data}") # Expected: {'name': 'Alice', 'age': 30, 'tags': ['dev', 'python']}

Debug

Known issues

gotchaRison is not JSON. Its syntax and supported data types differ significantly. Direct mental mapping from JSON to Rison often leads to parsing errors or unexpected output. For example, objects use parentheses `()` instead of curly braces `{}`, and unquoted identifiers are common.

fix

Familiarize yourself with the Rison specification, especially regarding object and array delimiters, string quoting rules, and special values like `!n` for null.

affects: All versions

gotchaThe `prison` library has not been updated since August 2021 (v0.2.1). While stable and functional for the existing Rison specification, new Python features, performance optimizations, or edge-case bug fixes are unlikely to be implemented.

fix

Be aware that the library's development is quiescent. For mission-critical applications, consider a review of its source code or potential maintenance forks if advanced features or active support become necessary.

affects: 0.2.1 and potentially future versions if no updates occur

gotchaDeserializing Rison data from untrusted sources with `prison.loads()` carries inherent security risks. While Rison's simplicity mitigates some complex attack vectors found in formats like YAML or Pickle, malicious input could still lead to resource exhaustion (e.g., deep nesting) or unexpected data structures.

fix

Always validate or sanitize Rison input from untrusted sources. Limit the depth of nested structures and verify data types if parsing user-supplied data.

affects: All versions

Errors

Common errors & fixes

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'prison'

The 'prison' library is not installed in the Python environment where the code is being executed.

fix

pip install prison

prison.decoder.ParserException: missing ', '

The input string provided to `prison.loads()` is not valid Rison, often due to improper escaping of special characters or malformed Rison syntax.

fix

Ensure the Rison string conforms to the Rison specification. If constructing the string manually, be mindful of characters like '!', '(', ')', ':', and ',' and use `prison.dumps()` to serialize Python objects into valid Rison. For example, `prison.loads("(key:value)")` for an object, or `prison.loads("!(item1,item2)")` for an array.

rison decoder error: missing ':'

The input Rison string is syntactically incorrect, specifically missing a colon where a key-value pair is expected in an object, or other structural issues.

fix

Verify that your Rison string adheres to the correct syntax. For object keys, ensure they are followed by a colon and a value, e.g., `(key:value)`. Use `prison.dumps()` to reliably generate correct Rison strings.

AttributeError: module 'prison' has no attribute 'dumps'

This error occurs when attempting to access a function or attribute, such as `dumps` or `loads`, from the 'prison' module incorrectly, often by trying to import them directly when they are intended to be accessed as methods of the imported module itself.

fix

Import the 'prison' module and access its functions as attributes, e.g., `import prison` then `prison.dumps()` or `prison.loads()`.

Upgrade

Version history

0.2.1latest on PyPI · released Aug 26, 2021

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

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Resources

githubhttps://github.com/betodealmeida/python-rison ↗

packagehttps://pypi.org/project/prison/ ↗