# Install bcrypt with Homebrew, dnf, MacPorts Cross platform file encryption utility using blowfish. Version 1.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:bcrypt ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install bcrypt ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install bcrypt ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: security/bcrypt/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install bcrypt ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: bcrypt from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:bcrypt - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.1 - **Source summary:** Cross platform file encryption utility using blowfish - **Homepage:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-3-Clause - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - bcrypt (cli) - bcrypt (alias) ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.1 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://bcrypt.sourceforge.net/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage bcrypt is a small cross-platform command-line file encryption utility built around the Blowfish block cipher, not the later password-hashing scheme that shares the same name. Its public SourceForge page and bundled README describe a Unix-style tool that encrypts files to .bfe files, optionally compresses input, and securely overwrites originals before removal. ### Project history Johnny Shelley published bcrypt 1.1 in 2002 under a BSD-style license. The project page ties the tool directly to Bruce Schneier's 1993 Blowfish algorithm and Paul Kocher's public Blowfish implementation, with local changes shipped in the bcrypt source archive. The 1.1 release notes emphasize portability work: bcrypt had been tested across FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Linux, Cygwin, Win32, Solaris, Mac OS X 10.1 Server, HP-UX, Alpha, MIPS, PPC, SPARC, and other systems. The same notes warn users upgrading from 1.0 on some unsupported architectures to decrypt and re-encrypt files because early portability bugs could affect compatibility. ### Adoption history bcrypt's adoption pattern is typical of early-2000s security utilities: a small upstream tarball, a SourceForge homepage, and packaging by Unix-like distributions for users who wanted a simple local file encryptor. The Homebrew, Fedora, and MacPorts package names preserve that utility even though modern searches for 'bcrypt' usually find password hashing libraries instead. ### How it is used The documented interface is deliberately small: run bcrypt on one or more files, producing .bfe encrypted files; run it again on .bfe input to decrypt. Options control stdout output, compression, removal of input files, and the number of overwrite passes before deletion. ### Why package nerds care For package historians, bcrypt is interesting because it is a name collision frozen in package indexes: this package is a Blowfish file-encryption CLI, while 'bcrypt' is now better known as a password hashing algorithm. It also captures a period when secure deletion, endian portability, source tarballs, GPG signatures, and cross-architecture binary compatibility were front-and-center concerns for small security packages. ### Timeline - 1993: Bruce Schneier publishes the Blowfish algorithm, which bcrypt later uses. - 2002: bcrypt 1.1 is released by Johnny Shelley with bug fixes, broader operating-system support, better speed, and lower memory use. - 2000s-2020s: Unix package managers continue carrying bcrypt as a niche file-encryption utility. ### Related projects - Blowfish is the cipher family named by the bcrypt documentation as the cryptographic basis for the tool. - zlib is the compression dependency documented for the source build. - Modern bcrypt password-hashing libraries are related mainly by name and Blowfish lineage; they are not the same package or interface. ### Sources - - - source_facts.package-manager ## Security Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. - **Geiger risk:** blue / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** bcrypt - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - dnf - bcrypt - 1.1-40.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: bcrypt from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | File encryption utility | http://bcrypt.sourceforge.net/ - MacPorts - bcrypt: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: security/bcrypt/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## 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. - [Security and crypto packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/security-crypto-tools/) - Matched security, identity, cryptography, password, signing, or certificate metadata. - [rage](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rage/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cryptography, encryption, file-encryption, security. - [cryfs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cryfs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, encryption, security. - [dislocker](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dislocker/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, encryption, security. - [git-crypt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/git-crypt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, encryption, security. - [git-remote-gcrypt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/git-remote-gcrypt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, encryption, security. - [gocryptfs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gocryptfs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, encryption, security. - [shush](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/shush/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, encryption, security. - [ssh-vault](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ssh-vault/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, encryption, security. - [ccrypt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ccrypt/) - Security-sensitive metadata or terminology overlaps. Shared terms: cli, cryptography, encryption, file, security. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/bcrypt.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/bcrypt.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - 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