Decision Workspace
pkcs7 vs pkcs8 vs pem-rfc7468
Side-by-side comparison of Rust crates
46
pkcs7
growingv0.4.1
DEPRECATED: use the `cms` crate instead
69
pkcs8
growingv0.10.2
Pure Rust implementation of Public-Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS) #8: Private-Key Information Syntax Specification (RFC 5208), with additional support for PKCS#8v2 asymmetric key packages (RFC 5958)
67
pem-rfc7468
growingv1.0.0
PEM Encoding (RFC 7468) for PKIX, PKCS, and CMS Structures, implementing a strict subset of the original Privacy-Enhanced Mail encoding intended specifically for use with cryptographic keys, certificates, and other messages. Provides a no_std-friendly, constant-time implementation suitable for use with cryptographic private keys.
Core Metrics
| pkcs7 | pkcs8 | pem-rfc7468 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Score | 46 | 69 | 67 |
| Total Downloads | 3.2M | 237.8M | 178.7M |
| 30d Downloads | 76.3K | 23.6M | 18.8M |
| Dependents | 46 | 2.6K | 509 |
| Releases | 8 | 49 | 23 |
| Last Updated | 1049d ago | 44d ago | 139d ago |
| Age | 9y 7m | 5y 9m | 5y 1m |
Health Breakdown
pkcs7
Maintenance
3
Quality
8
Community
15
Popularity
8
Documentation
12
pkcs8
Maintenance
16
Quality
13
Community
20
Popularity
8
Documentation
12
pem-rfc7468
Maintenance
11
Quality
18
Community
18
Popularity
8
Documentation
12
Technical Details
| pkcs7 | pkcs8 | pem-rfc7468 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Version | 0.4.1 | 0.10.2 | 1.0.0 |
| Stable (≥1.0) | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 OR MIT | Apache-2.0 OR MIT | Apache-2.0 OR MIT |
| Dependencies | 6 | 7 | 1 |
| Crate Size | 23KB | 26KB | 25KB |
| Features | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Yanked % | 37.5% | 16.3% | 13.0% |
| Edition | 2021 | 2021 | 2024 |
| MSRV | 1.65 | 1.65 | 1.85 |
| Owners | 2 (team) | 3 (team) | 2 (team) |
Links
Quick Verdict
- •pkcs8 leads with a health score of 69/100, but none of the options score above 80.
- •pkcs8 is depended on by 2.6K crates — strongest ecosystem trust.
- •⚠ pkcs7 has not been updated in over a year.
- •pkcs7, pkcs8 are pre-1.0 — API may change.