Decision Workspace
p521 vs p384 vs p256
Side-by-side comparison of Rust crates
73
p521
growingv0.14.0
Pure Rust implementation of the NIST P-521 (a.k.a. secp521r1) elliptic curve as defined in SP 800-186, with support for ECDH, ECDSA signing/verification, and general purpose curve arithmetic
78
p384
growingv0.14.0
Pure Rust implementation of the NIST P-384 (a.k.a. secp384r1) elliptic curve as defined in SP 800-186 with support for ECDH, ECDSA signing/verification, and general purpose curve arithmetic support.
77
p256
growingv0.14.0
Pure Rust implementation of the NIST P-256 (a.k.a. secp256r1, prime256v1) elliptic curve as defined in SP 800-186, with support for ECDH, ECDSA signing/verification, and general purpose curve arithmetic
Core Metrics
| p521 | p384 | p256 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Score | 73 | 78 | 77 |
| Total Downloads | 23.0M | 66.3M | 142.8M |
| 30d Downloads | 1.4M | 4.4M | 8.4M |
| Dependents | 1.2K | 3.0K | 8.8K |
| Releases | 33 | 52 | 61 |
| Last Updated | 5d ago | 7d ago | 10d ago |
| Age | 7y 9m | 7y 9m | 7y 9m |
Health Breakdown
p521
Maintenance
18
Quality
13
Community
19
Popularity
8
Documentation
15
p384
Maintenance
19
Quality
16
Community
20
Popularity
8
Documentation
15
p256
Maintenance
18
Quality
16
Community
20
Popularity
8
Documentation
15
Technical Details
| p521 | p384 | p256 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Version | 0.14.0 | 0.14.0 | 0.14.0 |
| Stable (≥1.0) | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| License | Apache-2.0 OR MIT | Apache-2.0 OR MIT | Apache-2.0 OR MIT |
| Dependencies | 15 | 14 | 14 |
| Crate Size | 118KB | 75KB | 77KB |
| Features | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Yanked % | 9.1% | 3.9% | 3.3% |
| Edition | 2024 | 2024 | 2024 |
| MSRV | 1.85 | 1.85 | 1.85 |
| Owners | 2 (team) | 2 (team) | 2 (team) |
Links
Quick Verdict
- •p384 leads with a health score of 78/100, but none of the options score above 80.
- •p256 has the most downloads (142.8M), suggesting wider adoption.
- •p256 is depended on by 8.8K crates — strongest ecosystem trust.