macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install ancientlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install ancientMacPorts ports tree · archivers/ancient/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install ancient with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, zypper
Decompression routines for ancient formats. Version 2.3.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install ancientDebian stable package indexes · ancient · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install ancientFedora Rawhide package metadata · ancient · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install ancientopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · ancient · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Decompression routines for ancient formats
Project links
Commands and aliases
- ancient
history
Project history and usage
Ancient is a modern C++17 decompressor collection for old compression formats, especially formats from Amiga, Atari, and other 1980s and 1990s systems. It ships both a command-line application and a small API.
Project history
The public GitHub repository was created in March 2017. The README explains the motivation: old decompression algorithms may still be findable, but original implementations are often system-specific, incomplete, direct translations from M68K assembly, poorly licensed, or hard to reuse safely.
Ancient's project goals are a clean modern implementation, BSD-style licensing, and test coverage against a cache of roughly ten thousand available files plus generated public-domain test files. The README also stresses that some old formats have undocumented corner cases and weak password protection, but the project is decompression-focused rather than cryptographic.
The latest GitHub release observed for this batch is v2.3.0, published in September 2025.
Adoption history
Ancient sits at the intersection of software preservation, retrocomputing, and archive tooling. Its value is not broad user-interface adoption but format coverage: it preserves the ability to unpack data from old scenes, games, music modules, and system-specific compressors.
The supplied package facts show Ancient packaged in Homebrew, Debian, Fedora/dnf, MacPorts, Ubuntu, and zypper. That distribution breadth is notable for a specialist decompressor library because it makes obscure formats available to scripts and preservation workflows without each user rebuilding from source.
How it is used
The README says simple usage is available through both the CLI and API, and that the compression algorithm is automatically detected in most cases. It also notes important boundaries: Ancient currently does not support archival files or self-extracting executables as primary built-in functionality.
The format list is the package's main feature: it includes classic Unix `compress`/`pack` variants, bzip2 and gzip bitstreams, Amiga-oriented formats such as PowerPacker, XPK-encapsulated files, Disk Masher System, StoneCracker, Pack-Ice, and many others.
Why package nerds care
Ancient is significant because package managers can turn a preservation niche into a normal command-line capability. Once installed, old packed data can be tested or unpacked in automated pipelines without depending on questionable original binaries.
It is also a nice example of 'boring modern C++ around weird old formats': the project replaces fragile historical code with a maintained, licensed, test-backed implementation.
Timeline
- 2017: GitHub repository created.
- 2017 onward: Ancient grows as a C++17 library and CLI for legacy decompression formats.
- 2025: Release v2.3.0 published.
Related projects
- PowerPacker, XPK, StoneCracker, Disk Masher System, Pack-Ice, and other legacy compressors listed by the README.
- Lhasa: referenced by the README as a source for reimplementing rare LZH compressors without reusing code.
- bzip2 and gzip: modern/Unix formats included alongside retro formats.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: blue
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.
Risk classifier
blue risk · medium confidence · tool
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
Signals
- text:compress
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Build metadata lists 5 build dependencies.
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 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
ancient | 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 generated2026-07-08
manager version2.3.0
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv2.3.0
https://github.com/temisu/ancient
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ancient |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.3.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ancient |
| Homepage | https://github.com/temisu/ancient |
| Repository | https://github.com/temisu/ancient |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/temisu/ancient#readme |
| License | BSD-2-Clause |
| Source archive | https://github.com/temisu/ancient/archive/refs/tags/v2.3.0.tar.gz |
| Build dependencies | autoconf, autoconf-archive, automake, libtool, pkgconf |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, 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 | ancient |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
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%
ancient 2.2.0-1
decompression routines for ancient formats
https://github.com/temisu/ancient
sudo apt install ancient- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ancient
Debian apt95%
libancient-dev 2.2.0-1
decompression routines for ancient formats - development files
https://github.com/temisu/ancient
sudo apt install libancient-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: ancient
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ancient
Debian apt95%
libancient2 2.2.0-1
decompression routines for ancient formats
https://github.com/temisu/ancient
sudo apt install libancient2- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: ancient
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ancient
Ubuntu apt95%
ancient 2.1.0+ds-1build1
decompression routines for ancient formats
https://github.com/temisu/ancient
sudo apt install ancient- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ancient
Ubuntu apt95%
libancient-dev 2.1.0+ds-1build1
decompression routines for ancient formats - development files
https://github.com/temisu/ancient
sudo apt install libancient-dev- Section: universe/libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: ancient
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ancient
Ubuntu apt95%
libancient2 2.1.0+ds-1build1
decompression routines for ancient formats
https://github.com/temisu/ancient
sudo apt install libancient2- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: ancient
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ancient
dnf95%
ancient 2.3.0-3.fc44
Modern decompressor for old data compression formats
https://github.com/temisu/ancient
sudo dnf install ancient- License: BSD-2-Clause AND bzip2-1.0.6
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ancient
- 5 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ancient
dnf95%
ancient-devel 2.3.0-3.fc44
Library and header files for building applications to use libancient
https://github.com/temisu/ancient
sudo dnf install ancient-devel- License: BSD-2-Clause AND bzip2-1.0.6
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: ancient
- 3 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ancient
dnf95%
ancient-libs 2.3.0-3.fc44
Library files for libancient decompressor for old formats
https://github.com/temisu/ancient
sudo dnf install ancient-libs- License: BSD-2-Clause AND bzip2-1.0.6
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: ancient
- 5 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ancient
zypper95%
ancient 2.3.0-1.3
Decompression routines for ancient formats
https://github.com/temisu/ancient/
sudo zypper install ancient- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ancient
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ancient
zypper95%
ancient-devel 2.3.0-1.3
Development files for libancient
https://github.com/temisu/ancient/
sudo zypper install ancient-devel- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ancient
- 2 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ancient
zypper95%
libancient2 2.3.0-1.3
Decompression library for ancient formats
https://github.com/temisu/ancient/
sudo zypper install libancient2- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Category: System/Libraries
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ancient
- 4 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ancient
MacPorts95%
ancient
sudo port install ancient- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ancient
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.
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