macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install cpiolocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install cpioMacPorts ports tree · archivers/cpio/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install cpio with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, winget, zypper
Copies files into or out of a cpio or tar archive. Version 2.15 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add cpioAlpine Linux edge package indexes · cpio · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install cpioDebian stable package indexes · cpio · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install cpioFedora Rawhide package metadata · cpio · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#cpionixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/cp/cpio/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S cpioArch Linux sync databases · cpio · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install cpioopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · cpio · source: download.opensuse.org
Windows
Windows Package Managerverified · 92%
winget install --id GnuWin32.Cpio -eWindows Package Manager source index · GnuWin32.Cpio · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com
overview
Package summary
Copies files into or out of a cpio or tar archive
Project links
Commands and aliases
- cpio
history
Project history and usage
GNU cpio is the GNU implementation of the classic copy-in/copy-out archiver. It copies files between directories and archives, including cpio formats and tar formats, and remains a small but important Unix packaging and recovery tool.
Project history
GNU cpio's manual is published by the Free Software Foundation and documents the program as a tool for creating and extracting archives or copying directory trees. The manual credits Robert Carleton and Sergey Poznyakoff, and the current GNU source package includes documentation maintained through the 2.15 release.
The GNU package history visible in NEWS shows long-running maintenance around archive-format compatibility, large-file support, security fixes, reproducible archive options, and portability fixes. Version 2.0 added SVR4 cpio formats and traditional/POSIX tar archive support; later releases added sparse handling, GPLv3 licensing, reproducible archive support, and security fixes.
Adoption history
The supplied package facts list GNU cpio across common Unix-like package managers, including Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora/dnf, Alpine/apk, Arch/pacman, openSUSE/zypper, Nix, MacPorts, Homebrew, and a GnuWin32 package. That breadth matches cpio's role as a standard archive utility rather than an application-level tool.
How it is used
GNU cpio has three primary modes: copy-out to create archives from file lists, copy-in to extract archives, and copy-pass to copy directory trees. The manual emphasizes pipelines with find or ls, archive media such as disk files, tapes, and pipes, and compatibility with multiple cpio and tar formats.
Why package nerds care
Package maintainers care about cpio because it is both a user-facing archive command and an old archive format that still appears in build systems, initramfs tooling, backups, and historical Unix data. GNU cpio's NEWS also matters to distributors because it records CVE fixes, reproducibility options, and large-file behavior changes.
Timeline
- 1996: GNU FTP archive lists cpio 2.4.2.
- 2007: Version 2.9 switched GNU cpio to GPLv3.
- 2015: Version 2.12 added --reproducible archive support.
- 2019: Version 2.13 fixed CVE-2015-1197, CVE-2016-2037, and CVE-2019-14866.
- 2024: Version 2.15 fixed copy-in and --no-absolute-filenames behavior.
Related projects
- GNU tar is related through archive-format compatibility.
- GNU find is commonly paired with cpio to provide file lists.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: blue
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.
Risk classifier
blue risk · medium confidence · tool
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
Signals
- text:archive
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 10 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.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
cpio | 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 version2.15
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://www.gnu.org/software/cpio/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.gnu.org/software/cpio/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:cpio |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.15 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/cpio |
| Homepage | https://www.gnu.org/software/cpio/ |
| Repository | https://git.savannah.gnu.org/git/cpio.git |
| Upstream docs | https://www.gnu.org/software/cpio |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/gnu/cpio/cpio-2.15.tar.bz2 |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, monterey, 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 | cpio |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | yes |
| 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%
cpio 2.15+dfsg-2
GNU cpio -- a program to manage archives of files
https://www.gnu.org/software/cpio/
sudo apt install cpio- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cpio
Nix95%
cpio
nix profile install nixpkgs#cpio- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cpio
Ubuntu apt95%
cpio 2.15+dfsg-1ubuntu2
GNU cpio -- a program to manage archives of files
https://www.gnu.org/software/cpio/
sudo apt install cpio- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cpio
apk95%
cpio 2.15-r0
tool to copy files into or out of a cpio or tar archive
https://www.gnu.org/software/cpio
sudo apk add cpio- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: cpio
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cpio
apk95%
cpio-doc 2.15-r0
tool to copy files into or out of a cpio or tar archive (documentation)
https://www.gnu.org/software/cpio
sudo apk add cpio-doc- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: cpio
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cpio
dnf95%
cpio 2.15-9.fc44
A GNU archiving program
https://www.gnu.org/software/cpio/
sudo dnf install cpio- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: cpio
- 2 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cpio
pacman95%
cpio 2.15-3
A tool to copy files into or out of a cpio or tar archive
https://www.gnu.org/software/cpio
sudo pacman -S cpio- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cpio
zypper95%
cpio 2.15-7.2
A Backup and Archiving Utility
https://www.gnu.org/software/cpio/cpio.html
sudo zypper install cpio- License: GPL-3.0-only
- Category: Productivity/Archiving/Backup
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: cpio
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cpio
zypper95%
cpio-lang 2.15-7.2
Translations for package cpio
https://www.gnu.org/software/cpio/cpio.html
sudo zypper install cpio-lang- License: GPL-3.0-only
- Category: System/Localization
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: cpio
- 1 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cpio
zypper95%
cpio-mt 2.15-7.2
Tape drive control utility
https://www.gnu.org/software/cpio/cpio.html
sudo zypper install cpio-mt- License: GPL-3.0-only
- Category: Productivity/Archiving/Backup
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: cpio
- 4 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cpio
MacPorts95%
cpio
sudo port install cpio- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cpio
winget95%
GnuWin32.Cpio
winget install --id GnuWin32.Cpio -e- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cpio
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 package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment