Documentation

The documentation mentions several PyPI packages such as numpy and requests as an alternative for standard library packages.

I would like to propose that python-isal gets a mention in the "see also" section of the zlib and gzip documentation. Simply: "python-isal, faster zlib and gzip decompression and compression".

Since the documentation cannot just recommend any random project out there here follows the argumentation why python-isal should get a mention.

1. Python-isal uses stdlib code and uses a PSF-2.0 license.
2. As a result the following improvements could be made to the stdlib code:

• bpo-43317: Use io.DEFAULT_BUFFER_SIZE instead of arbitrary number in gzip module #24645
• bpo-43316: gzip: CLI uses non-zero return code on error. #24647
• bpo-43612: Add wbits parameter to zlib.compress #25011
• bpo-43613: Faster implementation of gzip.compress and gzip.decompress #27941
• gh-95534: Improve gzip reading speed by 10% #97664
• Minor test fixes for zlib and gzip #22408
• bpo-45509: Check gzip headers for corrupted fields #29028

Python-isal is a "good citizen" of the python ecosystem. All the improvements have been ported back to CPython. The useful thing about python-isal is that it allows the gzip and zlib code of CPython to evolve and get tested by a smaller group of users before it lands in CPython itself. The PRs above were all suggested only after the changes were found to be stable in releases of python-isal.
Therefore more python-isal users is also beneficial to CPython itself. It is also beneficial for the users to be able to install a library that offers 2x faster decompression and 5x(!) faster compression. Hence a small one-liner in "see also" is warranted in my opinion.

The next thing for python-isal to tackle is this: #89550 . When a working solution is found this will be backported to CPython.

Disclosure: I am the python-isal maintainer.

Linked PRs

• gh-98347: Add links to python-isal in the documentation #98637
• [3.13] gh-98347: Add links to python-isal in the documentation (GH-98637) #132894