macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install colortaillocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install colortail with Homebrew, apt
Like tail(1), but with various colors for specified output. Version 0.3.5 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install colortailDebian stable package indexes · colortail · source: deb.debian.org
overview
Package summary
Like tail(1), but with various colors for specified output
Project links
Commands and aliases
- colortail
history
Project history and usage
Colortail is a Unix log-watching utility that follows files like `tail` while applying colors to lines or line fragments matched by regular expressions.
Project history
Joakim Ek's README says the idea came from watching multiple log files in an IRC session and wanting unusual lines to stand out quickly. Version 0.1 used a simpler wildcard-style configuration, version 0.2 moved to regular expressions, and later patch activity led to a C++ rewrite.
Adoption history
The README credits external patches for multicolored lines, FreeBSD and OpenBSD compatibility, Debian packaging, and 64-bit testing. The supplied package-manager metadata lists Homebrew, Debian, and Ubuntu, reflecting a small but persistent Unix utility footprint.
How it is used
Users run `colortail` against one or more log files and pass config files with `-k`; a single config can apply globally, or multiple comma-separated configs can be mapped to multiple tailed files.
Why package nerds care
Colortail is package-nerd useful because it preserves the mental model of `tail -f` while adding configurable color rules. It predates many modern log viewers and remains a compact example of log highlighting as a Unix filter-style tool.
Timeline
- 2000s: Initial versions evolved from wildcard matching to regular-expression matching.
- 2009: README for Colortail 0.3.5 carries Joakim Ek copyright notice.
- 2009: README credits Debian packaging and portability patches from contributors.
Related projects
- Colortail is directly related to `tail`, `regex(7)`, syslog-style log files, and terminal color highlighting tools.
Sources
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 8 platform targets.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
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
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
~/.colortail/
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
colortail | cli | global 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 version0.3.5
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/joakim666/colortail
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/joakim666/colortailnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:colortail |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.3.5 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/colortail |
| Homepage | https://github.com/joakim666/colortail |
| Repository | https://github.com/joakim666/colortail |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/joakim666/colortail#readme |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://github.com/joakim666/colortail/releases/download/0.3.5/colortail-0.3.5.tar.gz |
| 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 details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | colortail |
| 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
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
colortail 0.3.4+git20191125.ad3bc53-1
log colorizer that makes log checking easier
https://github.com/joakim666/colortail
sudo apt install colortail- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Colortail
Ubuntu apt95%
colortail 0.3.3-1build2
log colorizer that makes log checking easier
http://joakimandersson.se/projects/colortail/
sudo apt install colortail- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Colortail
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.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment