Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install chardet with Homebrew, apt

Python character encoding detector. Version 7.4.3 via Homebrew; verified 2026-04-14.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install chardet

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install python-chardet-doc

Debian stable package indexes · python-chardet-doc · source: deb.debian.org

overview

Package summary

Python character encoding detector

Commands and aliases

  • chardetect

history

Project history and usage

chardet is Python's long-running universal character encoding detector, exposed as both a library and the `chardetect` command-line tool.

Project history

The official README says Mark Pilgrim originally created chardet in 2006 as a Python port of Mozilla's universal charset detection library. After Pilgrim disappeared from the web in 2011, maintenance continued under later Python maintainers.

Adoption history

chardet became a standard dependency in Python text-processing stacks because it solved the practical problem of guessing encodings for unknown byte streams. The supplied package facts show Homebrew packaging plus Debian and Ubuntu documentation packages, while the README documents normal installation with `pip install chardet`.

How it is used

Users call `chardet.detect`, `detect_all`, or `UniversalDetector` from Python, or run `chardetect` on files or stdin to print a guessed encoding and confidence.

Why package nerds care

chardet is package-nerd significant because it sits at the messy boundary between package metadata, HTTP downloads, archives, and text decoding. It is also notable for a 2026 chardet 7 rewrite that kept the package name and public API while changing implementation and license.

Timeline

  • 2006: Mark Pilgrim created chardet as a Python port of Mozilla's universal charset detector.
  • 2008: chardet 1.0.1 released on PyPI according to the official README history.
  • 2011: Project maintenance continued after Pilgrim deleted his online accounts.
  • 2012: chardet/chardet public GitHub repository created.
  • 2017: chardet 3.0.x releases published on GitHub.
  • 2026: chardet 7.0 released as a ground-up 0BSD-licensed rewrite under the same package name.

Related projects

  • Mozilla's universal charset detection library is the upstream idea chardet originally ported.
  • charset-normalizer is a related Python encoding detector compared directly in the chardet 7 README.

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 1 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

CommandKindExposureNote
chardetectcliglobal 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 version7.4.3
manager updated2026-04-14
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://chardet.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:chardet
Version7.4.3
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/chardet
Homepagehttps://chardet.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
Repositoryhttps://github.com/chardet/chardet
Upstream docshttps://chardet.readthedocs.io/en/latest
LicenseLGPL-2.1-or-later
Source archivehttps://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/19/b6/9df434a8eeba2e6628c465a1dfa31034228ef79b26f76f46278f4ef7e49d/chardet-7.4.3.tar.gz
Last updated2026-04-14T23:36:27Z
Pulseupdated
Dependenciespython@3.14
Bottleavailable (on all)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namechardet
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • stable

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%

python-chardet-doc 5.2.0+dfsg-2

Universal Character Encoding Detector (Documentation)

https://github.com/chardet/chardet

sudo apt install python-chardet-doc
  • Section: doc
  • Architecture: all
  • Source Package: chardet
  • 2 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Chardet
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: python-chardet-doc from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Debian apt95%

python3-chardet 5.2.0+dfsg-2

Universal Character Encoding Detector (Python3)

https://github.com/chardet/chardet

sudo apt install python3-chardet
  • Section: python
  • Architecture: all
  • Source Package: chardet
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Chardet
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: python3-chardet from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Ubuntu apt95%

python-chardet-doc 5.2.0+dfsg-1

Universal Character Encoding Detector (Documentation)

https://github.com/chardet/chardet

sudo apt install python-chardet-doc
  • Section: doc
  • Architecture: all
  • Source Package: chardet
  • 2 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Chardet
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: python-chardet-doc from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
Ubuntu apt95%

python3-chardet 5.2.0+dfsg-1

Universal Character Encoding Detector (Python3)

https://github.com/chardet/chardet

sudo apt install python3-chardet
  • Section: python
  • Architecture: all
  • Source Package: chardet
  • 2 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Chardet
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: python3-chardet from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

Same workflow

  • abi3auditShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, python.
  • fadesShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, python.
  • flake8Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, python.
  • flitShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, python.
  • hatchShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, python.
  • isortShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, python.

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.

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