macOS
brew install bzip3local Homebrew formula metadata
sudo port install bzip3MacPorts ports tree · archivers/bzip3/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Better and stronger spiritual successor to BZip2. Version 1.5.3 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-04.
install
brew install bzip3local Homebrew formula metadata
sudo port install bzip3MacPorts ports tree · archivers/bzip3/Portfile · source: api.github.com
sudo apk add bzip3Alpine Linux edge package indexes · bzip3 · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
sudo apt install bzip3Debian stable package indexes · bzip3 · source: deb.debian.org
sudo dnf install bzip3Fedora Rawhide package metadata · bzip3 · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
nix profile install nixpkgs#bzip3nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/bz/bzip3/package.nix · source: api.github.com
sudo pacman -S bzip3Arch Linux sync databases · bzip3 · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
sudo zypper install bzip3openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · bzip3 · source: download.opensuse.org
scoop install extras/bzip3Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/bzip3.json · source: api.github.com
overview
Better and stronger spiritual successor to BZip2
history
BZip3 is a modern lossless compressor that explicitly presents itself as a better, faster, stronger spiritual successor to bzip2. It keeps the package shape familiar to Unix users while changing the compression internals substantially.
The upstream README describes BZip3 as combining a fast Burrows-Wheeler transform using suffix arrays, an order-0 context-mixing entropy coder, and an RLE/Lempel-Ziv-plus-prediction pass. The project copyright statement identifies Kamila Szewczyk as the main author for the 2022-2023 codebase.
The repository history shows public 1.x tags, and the README credits packaging-oriented autotools work, which helped make the project fit ordinary source-package and distribution build flows.
BZip3 is much newer and narrower than bzip2, but it has already reached Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, Alpine, Arch, MacPorts, Nix, Scoop, Ubuntu, and openSUSE package maps in the input facts. That adoption suggests interest from compression enthusiasts and distribution packagers rather than default system use.
Its adoption pitch is compatibility of workflow, not format compatibility: commands such as `bzip3`, `bunzip3`, `bz3cat`, and `bz3grep` feel familiar to users of bzip2 and gzip-family tools.
Users run `bzip3` to compress, `bunzip3` to decompress, and helper tools such as `bz3cat`, `bz3grep`, `bz3less`, and `bz3more` to inspect compressed files. The README also documents standard autotools-style source builds with `./configure`, `make`, and `make install`.
The README emphasizes text and source-code compression, including benchmarks against xz, bzip2, zstd, and lrzip combinations. That makes the package most relevant for users comparing archival compression ratios rather than seeking maximum decompression ubiquity.
BZip3 is interesting to package nerds because it is a deliberate sequel to a classic package rather than a generic new compressor. Its command naming, helper tools, and packaging-friendly build system make it easy for distributions to slot beside bzip2 for experimentation.
Its significance is still emerging: it is not infrastructure in the way bzip2 is, but it is the sort of package compression fans track to see whether an old format family can be reimagined with modern algorithms.
security posture
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
bunzip3 | cli | global executable | |
bz3cat | cli | global executable | |
bz3grep | cli | global executable | |
bz3less | cli | global executable | |
bz3more | cli | global executable | |
bz3most | cli | global executable | |
bzip3 | cli | global executable |
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.
https://github.com/iczelia/bzip3
install metadata
| Package key | brew:bzip3 |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.5.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/bzip3 |
| Homepage | https://github.com/iczelia/bzip3 |
| Repository | https://github.com/iczelia/bzip3 |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/iczelia/bzip3#readme |
| License | LGPL-3.0-only |
| Source archive | https://github.com/iczelia/bzip3/releases/download/1.5.3/bzip3-1.5.3.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-07-04T16:53:42+09:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | bzip3 |
| 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
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
bzip3 1.5.1-1+b1
better, faster and stronger spiritual successor to bzip2 - utilities
https://github.com/kspalaiologos/bzip3
sudo apt install bzip3libbzip3-1 1.5.1-1+b1
better, faster and stronger spiritual successor to bzip2 - runtime
https://github.com/kspalaiologos/bzip3
sudo apt install libbzip3-1libbzip3-dev 1.5.1-1+b1
better, faster and stronger spiritual successor to bzip2 - development
https://github.com/kspalaiologos/bzip3
sudo apt install libbzip3-devbzip3
nix profile install nixpkgs#bzip3bzip3 1.4.0-1
better, faster and stronger spiritual successor to bzip2 - utilities
https://github.com/kspalaiologos/bzip3
sudo apt install bzip3libbzip3-0 1.4.0-1
better, faster and stronger spiritual successor to bzip2 - runtime
https://github.com/kspalaiologos/bzip3
sudo apt install libbzip3-0libbzip3-dev 1.4.0-1
better, faster and stronger spiritual successor to bzip2 - development
https://github.com/kspalaiologos/bzip3
sudo apt install libbzip3-devbzip3 1.5.3-r0
Better and stronger spiritual successor to BZip2
https://github.com/iczelia/bzip3
sudo apk add bzip3bzip3-dev 1.5.3-r0
Better and stronger spiritual successor to BZip2 (development files)
https://github.com/iczelia/bzip3
sudo apk add bzip3-devbzip3-doc 1.5.3-r0
Better and stronger spiritual successor to BZip2 (documentation)
https://github.com/iczelia/bzip3
sudo apk add bzip3-docbzip3-libs 1.5.3-r0
Better and stronger spiritual successor to BZip2 (libraries)
https://github.com/iczelia/bzip3
sudo apk add bzip3-libsbzip3-static 1.5.3-r0
Better and stronger spiritual successor to BZip2 (static library)
https://github.com/iczelia/bzip3
sudo apk add bzip3-staticbzip3 1.5.3-3.fc44
Tools for compressing and decompressing bzip3 files
https://github.com/iczelia/bzip3
sudo dnf install bzip3bzip3-devel 1.5.3-3.fc44
Files for developing with bzip3 library
https://github.com/iczelia/bzip3
sudo dnf install bzip3-develbzip3-grep 1.5.3-3.fc44
Print lines matching a pattern in bzip3-compressed files
https://github.com/iczelia/bzip3
sudo dnf install bzip3-grepbzip3-less 1.5.3-3.fc44
View bzip3-compressed files with less pager
https://github.com/iczelia/bzip3
sudo dnf install bzip3-lesssource trail
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View the package source record on GitHub.