# Install alsa-lib with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman, zypper Provides audio and MIDI functionality to the Linux operating system. Version 1.2.16.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-14. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:alsa-lib ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install alsa-lib ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add alsa-lib ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: alsa-lib from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install libasound2-data ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: libasound2-data from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install alsa-lib ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: alsa-lib from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#alsa-lib ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/al/alsa-lib/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S alsa-lib ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: alsa-lib from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install libasound2 ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libasound2 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:alsa-lib - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.2.16.1 - **Source summary:** Provides audio and MIDI functionality to the Linux operating system - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** LGPL-2.1-or-later AND GPL-2.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-14T23:50:54Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - aserver (cli) - aserver (alias) ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.2.16.1 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-14 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.alsa-project.org/ - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage alsa-lib is the user-space C library for the Advanced Linux Sound Architecture, the Linux audio and MIDI stack normally abbreviated ALSA. It is the layer that lets applications talk to the ALSA kernel API through a stable library API, while adding higher-level helpers, plugin support, and configuration machinery that would be awkward for each application to implement directly. ### Project history The ALSA project was founded by Jaroslav Kysela and grew around the goal of replacing and extending the older Open Sound System model on Linux. Official ALSA documentation describes ALSA as providing audio and MIDI functionality for Linux, with modular drivers, SMP/thread-safe design, OSS compatibility, and a user-space library named alsa-lib to simplify application programming. alsa-lib became one of the core split-out ALSA components alongside the kernel driver code, alsa-utils, alsa-tools, and later configuration packages such as alsa-ucm-conf. The official library reference credits Jaroslav Kysela, Abramo Bagnara, Takashi Iwai, and Frank van de Pol as authors and describes the library API as the preferred interface for application programmers rather than using the kernel API directly. ### Adoption history The ALSA introduction notes that ALSA driver code was included in Linux 2.6, which made the ALSA stack the default assumption for most Linux desktop, embedded, and pro-audio packaging. As a result, alsa-lib became a dependency that package maintainers encounter indirectly through audio applications, desktop environments, media players, sound servers, MIDI tools, and compatibility layers. The library continues to be released as a separately versioned package. The ALSA project news and git history show coordinated alsa-lib releases with related ALSA components, including the 1.2.16 and 1.2.16.1 releases in June 2026. ### How it is used Developers use alsa-lib for PCM audio, mixer controls, sequencer, raw MIDI, timers, topology, and use-case manager APIs. End users usually meet it through configuration files rather than by invoking it directly: system defaults are loaded through alsa.conf and per-machine or per-user overrides are commonly placed in asound.conf or .asoundrc files. The source configuration file loads system and user configuration snippets from locations such as /etc/asound.conf, ~/.asoundrc, and $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/alsa/asoundrc, which explains why distribution packaging and local audio troubleshooting often revolve around these paths. ### Why package nerds care For package people, alsa-lib is plumbing with a very large reverse-dependency shadow. It is small enough to look like a library package, but central enough that ABI, plugin paths, default configuration, UCM data, and cross-distro path choices can affect whole desktops and audio stacks. It also matters historically because it marks the Unix audio transition from OSS compatibility toward the ALSA model that PulseAudio, JACK bridges, PipeWire compatibility layers, and many direct audio applications have had to understand. ### Timeline - 2003: ALSA driver code is included in Linux 2.6. - 2018: The alsa-project/alsa-lib GitHub repository is created as an official source mirror/development surface. - 2026-06-01: ALSA releases alsa-lib 1.2.16 with related ALSA components. - 2026-06-12: ALSA releases alsa-lib 1.2.16.1. ### Related projects - alsa-utils provides command-line tools such as aplay, arecord, alsamixer, and alsactl that sit beside alsa-lib in most distributions. - alsa-ucm-conf and alsa-topology-conf carry machine and DSP configuration data consumed through alsa-lib interfaces. - PipeWire, PulseAudio, JACK, media players, and many native Linux audio applications depend on ALSA compatibility or direct ALSA access. ### Sources - - - - - - - ## Security Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. - **Geiger risk:** blue / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Linux: /usr/share/alsa/alsa.conf, /etc/asound.conf, ~/.asoundrc, ~/.config/alsa/asoundrc ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** alsa-lib - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Requirements:** linux - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - libasound2-data - 1.2.14-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libasound2-data from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Configuration files and profiles for ALSA drivers | https://www.alsa-project.org/ - Debian apt - libasound2-dev - 1.2.14-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libasound2-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | shared library for ALSA applications -- development files | https://www.alsa-project.org/ - Debian apt - libasound2-doc - 1.2.14-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libasound2-doc from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | documentation for user-space ALSA application programming | https://www.alsa-project.org/ - Debian apt - libasound2-plugin-smixer - 1.2.14-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libasound2-plugin-smixer from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | smixer plugin for ALSA library | https://www.alsa-project.org/ - Debian apt - libasound2t64 - 1.2.14-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libasound2t64 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | shared library for ALSA applications | https://www.alsa-project.org/ - Debian apt - libatopology-dev - 1.2.14-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libatopology-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | shared library for handling ALSA topology -- development files | https://www.alsa-project.org/ - Debian apt - libatopology2t64 - 1.2.14-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libatopology2t64 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | shared library for handling ALSA topology definitions | https://www.alsa-project.org/ - Nix - alsa-lib: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/al/alsa-lib/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - libasound2-data - 1.2.11-1build2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libasound2-data from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Configuration files and profiles for ALSA drivers | https://www.alsa-project.org/ - Ubuntu apt - libasound2-dev - 1.2.11-1build2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libasound2-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | shared library for ALSA applications -- development files | https://www.alsa-project.org/ - Ubuntu apt - libasound2-doc - 1.2.11-1build2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libasound2-doc from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | documentation for user-space ALSA application programming | https://www.alsa-project.org/ - Ubuntu apt - libasound2-plugin-smixer - 1.2.11-1build2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libasound2-plugin-smixer from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | smixer plugin for ALSA library | https://www.alsa-project.org/ - Ubuntu apt - libasound2t64 - 1.2.11-1build2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libasound2t64 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | shared library for ALSA applications | https://www.alsa-project.org/ - Ubuntu apt - libatopology-dev - 1.2.11-1build2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libatopology-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | shared library for handling ALSA topology -- development files | https://www.alsa-project.org/ - Ubuntu apt - libatopology2t64 - 1.2.11-1build2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libatopology2t64 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | shared library for handling ALSA topology definitions | https://www.alsa-project.org/ - apk - alsa-lib - 1.2.15.3-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: alsa-lib from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) library | https://alsa-project.org/ ## Related links - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Media and graphics packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/media-graphics-tools/) - Matched media, image, audio, video, or graphics metadata. - [pipewire](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pipewire/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [fluid-synth](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fluid-synth/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, cli, library, media, midi. - [wildmidi](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/wildmidi/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, cli, library, media, midi. - [adplug](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/adplug/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, cli, library, media. - [chromaprint](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/chromaprint/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, cli, library, media. - [freealut](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/freealut/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, cli, library, media. - [id3lib](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/id3lib/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, cli, library, media. - [jack](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jack/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, cli, media, midi. - [libmikmod](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libmikmod/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, cli, library, media. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/alsa-lib.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/alsa-lib.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph