Install avfs with Homebrew, apk, apt, Nix, pacman, zypper

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• avfs-config
• avfsd
• davpass
• ftppass
• mountavfs
• umountavfs

Project history

AVFS began as a userspace filesystem experiment for archive and remote-file access. Its own NEWS file records a version 0.1 first release, then rapid additions of ZIP, RAR, symbolic links, Solaris support, autoconf, and Midnight Commander external filesystem handlers in the early 0.x series.

The project changed shape as Unix filesystem integration changed. Version 0.5 introduced avfscoda because the preload method would not work for GLIBC 2.1 and newer. Version 0.9.0 was a major rewrite that changed the magic character from `@` to `#`, added ftp, http, rsh, and dav handlers, and reworked caching and multithreaded operation. Version 0.9.7 added FUSE support, which became the more durable packaging story for modern Linux systems.

AVFS continued to receive maintenance long after its early SourceForge-era design. Later releases added xz/lzma, zip64, lzip, zstd, rar 5, macOS build fixes, FUSE 3 support, and large-file/time_t fixes, keeping a very old idea usable on current systems.

Adoption history

AVFS is packaged across a wide spread of Unix-like distributions in the batch input: Alpine, Homebrew, Debian, Nix, Arch, Ubuntu, and openSUSE. That adoption pattern fits a mature system utility whose value is broad but specialized.

The README frames AVFS as something any program can use without recompilation or kernel changes. Package adoption likely followed from that generic utility: shells, editors, file managers, and scripts can browse archives through the same virtual path model.

How it is used

Typical usage is to append `#` to an archive path, such as listing `file.tgz#/` or copying files out of `zipfile.zip#/*`. The README also documents virtual handlers for ftp, ssh, http, WebDAV, floppies, package formats, and the `/#avfsstat` control/status namespace.

Modern users mostly care about `avfsd`, `mountavfs`, and the FUSE form. The older library and preload approaches remain part of the project's history, but FUSE made AVFS fit normal package-manager expectations better.

Why package nerds care

AVFS is interesting because it packages a shell-native alternative to one-off archive commands. Instead of teaching every tool about tar, zip, gzip, or remote protocols, AVFS makes those resources look like directories.

It is also a long-lived SourceForge project that survived multiple Unix eras: LD_PRELOAD tricks, CODA, FUSE, 32-bit limits, new compression formats, and distribution hardening. That makes it a tidy example of compatibility maintenance as package culture.

Timeline

• 0.1: First release.
• 0.2: ZIP support, partial RAR support, Solaris stability, modular handlers.
• 0.5: avfscoda introduced for newer GLIBC systems.
• 0.9.0: Major rewrite; magic character changed to `#`; ftp, http, rsh, and dav handlers added.
• 2006: Version 0.9.7 added FUSE installation support.
• 2011: Version 1.0.0 released.
• 2019: Version 1.1.0 removed CODA and PRELOAD support.
• 2026: Version 1.3.0 added FUSE 3 support and made system zlib the default when available.

Related projects

• Midnight Commander's extfs handlers are used by AVFS for several archive and package formats.
• Pavel Machek's podfuk is listed by the AVFS homepage as a similar userspace filesystem project.

Sources

• https://avf.sourceforge.net/
• https://sourceforge.net/p/avf/git/ci/master/tree/NEWS
• https://sourceforge.net/p/avf/git/ci/master/tree/README
• source_facts.package-manager