# Install bogofilter with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper Mail filter via statistical analysis. Version 1.2.5 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:bogofilter ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install bogofilter ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install bogofilter ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: mail/bogofilter/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add bogofilter ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: bogofilter from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install bogofilter ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: bogofilter from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install bogofilter ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: bogofilter 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#bogofilter ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/bo/bogofilter/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S bogofilter-db ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: bogofilter-db from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install bogofilter-db ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: bogofilter-db from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:bogofilter - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.2.5 - **Source summary:** Mail filter via statistical analysis - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-2.0-or-later AND GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - bf_compact (cli) - bf_copy (cli) - bf_tar (cli) - bogofilter (cli) - bogolexer (cli) - bogotune (cli) - bogoupgrade (cli) - bogoutil (cli) - bf_compact (alias) - bf_copy (alias) - bf_tar (alias) - bogofilter (alias) - bogolexer (alias) - bogotune (alias) - bogoupgrade (alias) - bogoutil (alias) ## Uses from macOS - sqlite ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.2.5 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://bogofilter.sourceforge.io - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage Bogofilter is a fast C-based Bayesian mail filter that classifies messages as spam or ham by statistical analysis of message headers and body text. ### Project history Bogofilter appeared during the early-2000s wave of Bayesian spam filtering. Its official home page credits Eric S. Raymond with the initial version and says that, since 2002, David Relson, Matthias Andree, Greg Louis, and other open source volunteers brought it to maturity. The project explicitly roots its statistical approach in Paul Graham's 2002 article on Bayesian spam filtering and Gary Robinson's refinements, including the Fisher inverse chi-square technique. The man page describes further practical engineering: MIME decoding, HTML parsing, token handling for hosts and IP addresses, and production-oriented database lookups. The release history shows a long maintenance arc from the 1.2.x line into 1.3.0 release candidates. Recent entries include the 2019 Git repository conversion, maintenance after David Relson's death, C99 cleanup, SQLite3 driver work, and the 2025 decision to make SQLite3 the default database driver. ### Adoption history Bogofilter was adopted by Unix mail users who wanted a local, trainable spam classifier that could plug into delivery agents and desktop mail clients. The official home page names KMail, Evolution, Claws Mail, maildrop, and procmail-style integration as usage surfaces. Its package reach is broad for a mail-filtering utility: the input package facts list Alpine, Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, Ubuntu, and openSUSE packaging. That distribution spread reflects how Bayesian filtering became normal infrastructure for local mail setups before hosted mail spam filtering took over much of the mainstream market. ### How it is used Common usage is pipeline-oriented: feed a message to `bogofilter`, inspect its spam, ham, or unsure result, and train it with known spam and non-spam examples. Companion tools such as `bogoutil`, `bogotune`, `bogolexer`, and database copy/compact helpers support training, tuning, inspection, and migration. The man page emphasizes script-friendly behavior, including terse modes, passthrough headers, bulk processing, explicit registration as spam or non-spam, and configuration options for wordlists and database directories. ### Why package nerds care Bogofilter is package-nerd significant because it captures a specific era of open source mail culture: local Unix mail delivery, procmail/maildrop recipes, Berkeley DB wordlists, and statistical filtering that users trained themselves. It is also an example of a mature C utility where packaging choices matter. Database backend support, Unicode and MIME handling, config-file defaults, and migration tooling all directly affect whether an upgrade preserves a user's trained corpus. ### Timeline - 2002: Initial Bogofilter work by Eric S. Raymond is followed by maturation by David Relson, Matthias Andree, Greg Louis, and volunteers. - 2003: Paul Graham's later Bayesian filtering work and Gary Robinson's refinements are reflected in Bogofilter's documented algorithmic approach. - 2013: Matthias Andree becomes maintainer after David Relson's long maintainership. - 2019: The source repository is converted to Git; Bogofilter 1.2.5 is released. - 2024: 1.3.0 beta work resumes with Unicode, lexer, and corruption fixes. - 2025: 1.3.0 release candidates make SQLite3 the default database driver. ### Related projects - Related projects include SpamAssassin, DSPAM, CRM114, procmail, maildrop, KMail, Evolution, and Claws Mail. Bogofilter occupies the small, fast, user-trained filter niche rather than the rule-heavy network-scored niche associated with SpamAssassin. ### Sources - - - - - input.source_facts.package-manager ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## 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 - Unix: /etc/bogofilter.cf, ~/.bogofilter.cf ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** bogofilter - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - bogofilter - 1.2.5-1+b4: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: bogofilter from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | fast Bayesian spam filter (meta package) | http://bogofilter.sourceforge.net/ - Debian apt - bogofilter-bdb - 1.2.5-1+b4: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: bogofilter-bdb from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | fast Bayesian spam filter (Berkeley DB) | http://bogofilter.sourceforge.net/ - Debian apt - bogofilter-common - 1.2.5-1+b4: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: bogofilter-common from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | fast Bayesian spam filter (common files) | http://bogofilter.sourceforge.net/ - Debian apt - bogofilter-sqlite - 1.2.5-1+b4: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: bogofilter-sqlite from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | fast Bayesian spam filter (sqlite) | http://bogofilter.sourceforge.net/ - Debian apt - bogofilter-tokyocabinet - 1.2.5-1+b4: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: bogofilter-tokyocabinet from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | fast Bayesian spam filter (tokyocabinet) | http://bogofilter.sourceforge.net/ - Nix - bogofilter: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/bo/bogofilter/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - bogofilter - 1.2.5-1build4: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: bogofilter from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | fast Bayesian spam filter (meta package) | http://bogofilter.sourceforge.net/ - Ubuntu apt - bogofilter-bdb - 1.2.5-1build4: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: bogofilter-bdb from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | fast Bayesian spam filter (Berkeley DB) | http://bogofilter.sourceforge.net/ - Ubuntu apt - bogofilter-common - 1.2.5-1build4: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: bogofilter-common from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | fast Bayesian spam filter (common files) | http://bogofilter.sourceforge.net/ - Ubuntu apt - bogofilter-sqlite - 1.2.5-1build4: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: bogofilter-sqlite from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | fast Bayesian spam filter (sqlite) | http://bogofilter.sourceforge.net/ - apk - bogofilter - 1.2.5-r4: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: bogofilter from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Fast Bayesian spam filter | https://bogofilter.sourceforge.io/ - apk - bogofilter-doc - 1.2.5-r4: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: bogofilter-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Fast Bayesian spam filter (documentation) | https://bogofilter.sourceforge.io/ - dnf - bogofilter - 1.2.5-22.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: bogofilter from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Fast anti-spam filtering by Bayesian statistical analysis | http://bogofilter.sourceforge.net/ - dnf - bogofilter-bogoupgrade - 1.2.5-22.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: bogofilter-bogoupgrade from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Upgrades bogofilter database to current version | http://bogofilter.sourceforge.net/ - pacman - bogofilter-db - 1.2.5-12: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: bogofilter-db from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | A fast Bayesian spam filtering tool - Berkeley DB v5.3 backend | https://bogofilter.sourceforge.io/ - pacman - bogofilter-kyotocabinet - 1.2.5-12: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: bogofilter-kyotocabinet from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | A fast Bayesian spam filtering tool - Kyotocabinet DB backend | https://bogofilter.sourceforge.io/ ## Related links - [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. - [Productivity CLI packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/productivity-cli-packages/) - Matched curated productivity category metadata from av.db. - [dbacl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dbacl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, security, spam-filter. - [parsedmarc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/parsedmarc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, security. - [hashcash](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/hashcash/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, security. - [pywhat](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pywhat/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, email, security. - [acme.sh](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/acme-sh/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, security. - [aescrypt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aescrypt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, security. - [aespipe](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aespipe/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, security. - [afflib](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/afflib/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, security. - [exploitdb](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/exploitdb/) - Security-sensitive metadata or terminology overlaps. Shared terms: cli, security. - [gnutls](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gnutls/) - Security-sensitive metadata or terminology overlaps. Shared terms: cli, security. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/bogofilter.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/bogofilter.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