macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install ascii2binarylocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install ascii2binary with Homebrew, apt
Converting Text to Binary and Back. Version 2.14 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install ascii2binaryDebian stable package indexes · ascii2binary · source: deb.debian.org
overview
Package summary
Converting Text to Binary and Back
Project links
Commands and aliases
- ascii2binary
- binary2ascii
history
Project history and usage
ascii2binary is a pair of C/POSIX command-line programs, `ascii2binary` and `binary2ascii`, for converting between textual representations of numbers and raw binary values. The upstream page frames them as tools for test data generation, binary-file inspection, and glue between text-producing and binary-consuming programs.
Project history
The official page documents version 2.14 as current, last modified on 2010-08-29. Its changelog starts at version 2.0, when support for long and long long integers was added, and version 2.1 added the companion `binary2ascii` command.
Later 2.x releases focused on practical conversion details: base selection, internationalization, endianness reporting, script-friendly exit codes, long double support, locale-aware thousands separators, type-size reporting, and packaging-oriented header-name cleanup.
Adoption history
The upstream downloads section links not only tarballs but also Debian, FreeBSD FreshPorts, Open Package, OpenSolaris, SUSE RPM, and Ubuntu package pages. The input package facts show current Homebrew, Debian, and Ubuntu package-manager coverage.
How it is used
Users pipe whitespace-separated textual numbers into `ascii2binary` with flags selecting base and type, then pipe binary data into `binary2ascii` to inspect or reformat it. The official examples show hexadecimal-to-binary conversion, binary-to-hex/binary display, floating-point inspection, width and zero-padding controls, and locale conversion from German to American English number formatting.
Why package nerds care
This is a classic small Unix filter package: narrow purpose, POSIX C implementation, man pages, no credentials, no runtime config, and behavior that matters in scripts. Its fine-grained exit codes and locale/type-size options are the sort of details downstream users notice when a converter becomes part of test fixtures or data pipelines.
Timeline
- 2007-02: Official ascii2binary man page timestamp.
- 2.0: Adds support for long and long long integers.
- 2.1: Adds binary2ascii to the package.
- 2.3: Programs become fully internationalized with a French translation.
- 2.7: Exit codes are redefined for script-friendly error classes.
- 2.11: Locale-aware numeric conversion is added.
- 2010-08: Official page lists version 2.14 as current and last modified.
Related projects
- strtod, strtoll, and strtoull are the C library conversion functions named in the official man page.
- Downstream package links on the official page include Debian, FreeBSD FreshPorts, Open Package, OpenSolaris, SUSE RPMs, and Ubuntu.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.
- Installs with 1 runtime 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
ascii2binary | cli | global executable | |
binary2ascii | 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 version2.14
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://billposer.org/Software/a2b.html
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://billposer.org/Software/a2b.htmlnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ascii2binary |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.14 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ascii2binary |
| Homepage | https://billposer.org/Software/a2b.html |
| Upstream docs | http://billposer.org/Software/ascii2binary_man.html |
| License | GPL-3.0-only |
| Source archive | https://www.billposer.org/Software/Downloads/ascii2binary-2.14.tar.gz |
| Dependencies | gettext |
| 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 | ascii2binary |
| 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%
ascii2binary 2.14-1.1+b1
Convert between ASCII, hexadecimal and binary representations
http://billposer.org/Software/a2b.html
sudo apt install ascii2binary- Section: misc
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: ascii2binary
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ascii2binary
Ubuntu apt95%
ascii2binary 2.14-1.1
Convert between ASCII, hexadecimal and binary representations
http://billposer.org/Software/a2b.html
sudo apt install ascii2binary- Section: universe/misc
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ascii2binary
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