Crates / Compare / ed25519-dalek vs x25519-dalek
Rust crates side by side · data Oct 24, 2026
ed25519-dalek vs x25519-dalek
Short answerBy steady daily use, ed25519-dalek is bigger: 780,826 real downloads a day against 270,172 for x25519-dalek (2.9x). 3,403 crates depend on ed25519-dalek and 883 on x25519-dalek. ed25519-dalek last shipped 4 months ago, x25519-dalek 4 months ago.
ed25519-dalek
Widely usedWidely used and steady.
3,403 crates depend on it; no release in the last 90 days, so its count is all steady use.
Fast and efficient ed25519 EdDSA key generations, signing, and verification in pure Rust.
x25519-dalek
EstablishedEstablished and gaining.
883 crates depend on it; no release in the last 90 days, so its count is all steady use.
X25519 elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman key exchange in pure-Rust, using curve25519-dalek.
ed25519-dalekx25519-dalek · 100% = that crate's normal quiet day, so a spike to 300% is triple its usual traffic
Every number, side by side
| Same window, same method | ed25519-dalek | x25519-dalek |
|---|---|---|
| Real downloads a day | 780,826 | 270,172 |
| Crates that depend on it | 3,403 | 883 |
| Last release | 3.0.0, 4 months ago | 3.0.0, 4 months ago |
| Trend vs the field | +8% | +22% |
| Release-window share | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Downloads in the window | 73,107,428 | 26,062,520 |
| All-time downloads | 248,643,133 | 87,427,534 |
| Versions published | 46 | 35 |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | BSD-3-Clause |
| MSRV | 1.85 | 1.85 |
| First published | Dec 9, 2016 | Sep 14, 2017 |
Which to pick
- Downloads tell you what is common, not what fits. Each crate's own description above says what it is for; when the jobs differ, pick by the job.
- When both fit, prefer the one more crates depend on (ed25519-dalek, 3,403 dependents): more eyes, more answered questions, and you may already have it in your tree.
- Check the release dates against your own pace: ed25519-dalek 4 months ago, x25519-dalek 4 months ago.
Also in this space
Method
Real downloads = the median day with no release that day or the day before, from the crates.io API (Jul 27, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026). Raw crates.io counts include CI and bots and run high (why); the method is from our 90-day study.
Up next
Another comparison: Same method, same window. Foundational and steady vs widely used and steady.reqwest vs ureqRead it next →Also worth your time