Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to cbc
Short answerThe closest alternatives to cbc on crates.io data are ctr (757K real downloads a day), digest (3.9M real downloads a day), crypto-common (3.8M real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is digest, and 5 shipped a release in the last year. cbc itself gets 521,773 a day with 676 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs cbc | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ctr Established | 757,345 | 1.45x | 344 | 5mo | category Cryptography, category No standard library, keyword "block-mode", keyword "ciphers" | side by side |
| digest Widely used | 3,862,411 | 7.40x | 1,197 | 6mo | category Cryptography, category No standard library, keyword "crypto" | compare |
| crypto-common Pulled in | 3,766,260 | 7.22x | 85 | 5mo | category Cryptography, category No standard library, keyword "crypto" | compare |
| ppv-lite86 Pulled in | 2,441,634 | 4.68x | 6 | 20mo | category Cryptography, category No standard library, keyword "crypto" | compare |
| subtle Widely used | 2,159,165 | 4.14x | 2,362 | 2.3y | category Cryptography, category No standard library, keyword "crypto" | compare |
| hmac Widely used | 2,124,794 | 4.07x | 4,359 | 7mo | category Cryptography, category No standard library, keyword "crypto" | compare |
| ring Widely used | 2,112,308 | 4.05x | 1,837 | 19mo | category Cryptography, category No standard library, keyword "crypto" | compare |
| sha1 Widely used | 2,004,209 | 3.84x | 2,496 | 3mo | category Cryptography, category No standard library, keyword "crypto" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with cbc; read its description before you swap.
- More dependents means more answered questions and a smaller chance it disappears.
- Check the last release against how fast you need fixes. For cbc: is it still maintained?
Rules
Alternatives = tracked crates (top 1000 by downloads) that share a specific crates.io category (2 points each) or keyword (3 points each) with cbc, most similar first; its own parts (same name prefix) and crates it depends on or that depend on it are left out, because those are companions, not substitutes. Real downloads = quiet-day median, crates.io data Oct 24, 2026. Built when we find 3 or more.
Up next
The closest alternative: Established and gaining. 757,345 real downloads a day.ctrRust crate. CTR block modes of operation. Real use: 757K downloads a day on quiet days; 344 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time