Hachoir is a Python library to view and edit a binary stream field by field. In other words, Hachoir allows you to "browse" any binary stream just like you browse directories and files.

A file is splitted in a tree of fields, where the smallest field is just one bit. Examples of fields types: integers, strings, bits, padding types, floats, etc. Hachoir is the French word for a meat grinder (meat mincer), which is used by butchers to divide meat into long tubes; Hachoir is used by computer butchers to divide binary files into fields.

• Hachoir website (source code, bugs)
• Hachoir on GitHub (Source code, bug tracker)
• License: GNU GPL v2

Command line tools using Hachoir parsers:

• hachoir-grep: find a text pattern in a binary file
• hachoir-metadata: get metadata from binary files
• hachoir-strip: modify a file to remove metadata
• hachoir-urwid: display the content of a binary file in text mode

Installation instructions: http://hachoir.readthedocs.io/en/latest/install.html

Hachoir is written for Python 3.6 or newer.