brew

Install aalib with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper

Portable ASCII art graphics library. Version 1.4rc5 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-19.

Install command Security notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install aalib

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install aalib

MacPorts ports tree · graphics/aalib/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install libaa-bin

Debian stable package indexes · libaa-bin · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install aalib

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · aalib · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#aalib

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/aa/aalib/package.nix · source: api.github.com

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S aalib

Arch Linux sync databases · aalib · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install aalib

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · aalib · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

Portable ASCII art graphics library

Project links

Commands and aliases

aafire
aainfo
aalib-config
aasavefont
aatest

history

Project history and usage

AA-lib is a portable ASCII-art graphics library that renders graphics into text-mode output instead of relying on a graphical display.

Project history

The AA-Project documentation says Jan Hubicka started the project after experiments with old Hercules monochrome displays and an ASCII rendering approach for images and fractals. The manual frames AA-lib as a graphics-library API whose main difference is that it renders to ASCII art.

The official manual pages were generated from aalib.texinfo in 1997 and 1998, placing AA-lib squarely in the late-1990s Unix demo, terminal, and low-end-hardware graphics culture.

Adoption history

The AA-Project homepage lists software known to support AA output, including ttyquake, SDL, GIMP, and XaoS-era projects. Its appeal was not merely rendering still images, but making graphical demos, viewers, games, and effects run in text environments.

How it is used

Programs link against AA-lib or use its bundled tools to initialize a text-mode display, parse AA-specific command-line options, tune rendering parameters, and draw images as ASCII. The manual documents the AAOPTS environment variable for setting options across AA-lib programs.

Why package nerds care

AA-lib is a classic package-manager curiosity: small, portable, visibly weird, and useful as both a library and a demo source. Its bundled commands such as aafire and aatest made it memorable on Unix systems because installing it immediately produced terminal graphics.

Timeline

1997: aalib.texinfo-generated documentation appears for the ASCII-art library.
1998: AA-lib manual pages are regenerated and published on the AA-Project site.
2000s: AA-Project moves from its original home to SourceForge.
2026: SourceForge still exposes the AA-Project CVS/code area as the project source surface.

Related projects

Related AA-Project software includes BB, Aview, AAvga, AA3D, and XaoS; the homepage also lists external software with AA output support.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

library-like package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

library-like package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:library-like

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure
`aafire`	cli	global executable
`aainfo`	cli	global executable
`aalib-config`	cli	global executable
`aasavefont`	cli	global executable
`aatest`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-07

manager version1.4rc5

manager updated2026-06-19

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://aa-project.sourceforge.net/aalib/

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://aa-project.sourceforge.net/aalib/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:aalib
Version	1.4rc5
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/aalib
Homepage	https://aa-project.sourceforge.net/aalib/
Repository	https://sourceforge.net/p/aa-project/code
Upstream docs	https://aa-project.sourceforge.net/aalib
License	LGPL-2.0-or-later
Source archive	https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/aa-project/aa-lib/1.4rc5/aalib-1.4rc5.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-06-19T12:30:01-07:00
Pulse	updated
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	aalib
Version Scheme	0
Revision	2
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Debian apt95%

libaa-bin 1.4p5-51.1+b1

sample programs using aalib

http://aa-project.sourceforge.net/aalib/

sudo apt install libaa-bin

Section: text
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: aalib
2 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Aalib

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: libaa-bin from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Debian apt95%

libaa1 1.4p5-51.1+b1

ASCII art library

http://aa-project.sourceforge.net/aalib/

sudo apt install libaa1

Section: libs
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: aalib
6 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Aalib

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: libaa1 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Debian apt95%

libaa1-dev 1.4p5-51.1+b1

ASCII art library, development kit

http://aa-project.sourceforge.net/aalib/

sudo apt install libaa1-dev

Section: libdevel
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: aalib
4 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Aalib

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: libaa1-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Nix95%

aalib

nix profile install nixpkgs#aalib

normalized package name match
Matched by: Aalib

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/aa/aalib/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Ubuntu apt95%

libaa-bin 1.4p5-51.1

sample programs using aalib

http://aa-project.sourceforge.net/aalib/

sudo apt install libaa-bin

Section: universe/text
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: aalib
2 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Aalib

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libaa-bin from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

Ubuntu apt95%

libaa1 1.4p5-51.1

ASCII art library

http://aa-project.sourceforge.net/aalib/

sudo apt install libaa1

Section: libs
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: aalib
6 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Aalib

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libaa1 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

Ubuntu apt95%

libaa1-dev 1.4p5-51.1

ASCII art library, development kit

http://aa-project.sourceforge.net/aalib/

sudo apt install libaa1-dev

Section: libdevel
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: aalib
4 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Aalib

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libaa1-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

dnf95%

aalib 1.4.0-0.58.rc5.fc44

ASCII art library

http://aa-project.sourceforge.net/aalib/

sudo dnf install aalib

License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: aalib
3 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Aalib

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: aalib from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

dnf95%

aalib-devel 1.4.0-0.58.rc5.fc44

Development files for aalib

http://aa-project.sourceforge.net/aalib/

sudo dnf install aalib-devel

License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: i686
Source Package: aalib
3 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Aalib

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: aalib-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

dnf95%

aalib-libs 1.4.0-0.58.rc5.fc44

Library files for aalib

http://aa-project.sourceforge.net/aalib/

sudo dnf install aalib-libs

License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: i686
Source Package: aalib
8 dependencies
2 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Aalib

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: aalib-libs from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

pacman95%

aalib 1.4rc5-19

ASCII art graphic library

https://aa-project.sourceforge.net/aalib/

sudo pacman -S aalib

License: LGPL-2.0-or-later
Architecture: x86_64
5 dependencies
2 optional deps
normalized package name match
Matched by: Aalib

Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: aalib from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

zypper95%

aalib 1.4.0-518.3

An ASCII Art Library

https://aa-project.sourceforge.net/

sudo zypper install aalib

License: GPL-2.0-or-later
Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: aalib
4 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Aalib

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: aalib from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

zypper95%

aalib-devel 1.4.0-518.3

Development Package for AAlib

https://aa-project.sourceforge.net/

sudo zypper install aalib-devel

License: GPL-2.0-or-later
Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: aalib
3 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Aalib

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: aalib-devel from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

zypper95%

libaa1 1.4.0-518.3

An ASCII Art Library

https://aa-project.sourceforge.net/

sudo zypper install libaa1

License: GPL-2.0-or-later
Category: System/Libraries
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: aalib
7 dependencies
3 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Aalib

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libaa1 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

MacPorts95%

aalib

sudo port install aalib

normalized package name match
Matched by: Aalib

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: graphics/aalib/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/aalib.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install aalib with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper

Additional install commands

macOS

Linux

Package summary

Project links

Commands and aliases

Project history and usage

Project history

Adoption history

How it is used

Why package nerds care

Timeline

Related projects

Sources

Risk level: green

Risk classifier

Why

Signals

Install behavior

Recommended review

Installed executables

Version and freshness

Package metadata

Source database details

Other package-manager records

Internal package links

Topical hubs

Related tools

Same workflow

Agent security guides

Generated from repository data

Combined YAML source

Used sources