# Install figlet with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, zypper Banner-like program prints strings as ASCII art. Version 2.2.5 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-04. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:figlet ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install figlet ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install figlet ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: textproc/figlet/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add figlet ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: figlet from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install figlet ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: figlet from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install figlet ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: figlet 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#figlet ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/fi/figlet/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S figlet ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: figlet from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install figlet ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: figlet from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ### Windows - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install main/figlet ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/figlet.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:figlet - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.2.5 - **Source summary:** Banner-like program prints strings as ASCII art - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-3-Clause - **Source archive:** ftp://ftp.figlet.org/pub/figlet/program/unix/figlet-2.2.5.tar.gz - **Last updated:** 2026-07-04T13:13:40+09:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - chkfont (cli) - figlet (cli) - figlist (cli) - showfigfonts (cli) - chkfont (alias) - figlet (alias) - figlist (alias) - showfigfonts (alias) ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 2.2.5 - Package-manager updated: 2026-07-04 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.figlet.org/ - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage FIGlet is the classic terminal program for rendering ordinary text as large ASCII-art letters using external font files. ### Project history FIGlet's own history traces the project to Spring 1991, when Glenn Chappell wrote a small C program called newban after seeing an email signature by Frank Sheeran and being encouraged by Ian Chai. Later hindsight treats that 170-line program as FIGlet 1.0. In early 1993, Chappell and Chai rewrote and expanded the program into FIGlet 2.0 with full ASCII support, documentation, and 13 fonts. The official history says it then spread rapidly across the net, bringing fan mail, contributed fonts, ports to non-Unix systems, bug reports, a mailing list, and FTP hosting. FIGlet 2.1 added non-ASCII character sets and right-to-left printing. Later stewardship moved to the figlet.org community; an editor's note records the 2005 release of 2.2.2 under the Academic Free License, the 2011 release of 2.2.3 under the New BSD License, and a font collection exceeding 400 contributed fonts. ### Adoption history FIGlet became part of terminal and Unix culture because it made banners, email signatures, Usenet decorations, shell prompts, release scripts, and demos easy to generate from plain text. The man page explicitly connects FIGlet output to signatures in email and Usenet messages and to banner-style programs. The supplied package metadata shows broad packaging across Unix-like and cross-platform managers, including Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Alpine, MacPorts, Nix, Scoop, and openSUSE. That breadth matches FIGlet's role as a tiny, stable, instantly recognizable CLI. ### How it is used The man page describes the common usage pattern: run figlet interactively, pipe a file or command output into it, or pass text on the command line. Users can select fonts with -f, set the font directory with -d, control output width and justification, and use compressed font or control files. The practical unit of extension is the FIGlet font file, usually using the .flf suffix. That made the program easy to package with a base font set while allowing communities to trade and install many additional fonts. ### Why package nerds care FIGlet is package-nerd significant because it is a tiny command that became a shared visual language for terminals. Its output appears in build logs, MOTDs, READMEs, demos, shell scripts, and joke packages, and its font format made it unusually portable across Unix and non-Unix systems. It also represents an early internet-era open-source distribution pattern: a small C utility, an FTP site, mailing-list traffic, ports, contributed assets, licensing cleanup, and eventual packaging everywhere. ### Timeline - 1991: Glenn Chappell writes newban, later regarded as FIGlet 1.0. - 1993: FIGlet 2.0 is released with full ASCII support, documentation, and 13 fonts. - 1990s: FIGlet spreads online, attracting ports, bug reports, and regular contributed fonts. - 2002: Ian Chai hands figlet.org administration to Christiaan Keet. - 2005: FIGlet 2.2.2 is released under the Academic Free License 2.1. - 2011: FIGlet 2.2.3 is released under the New BSD License. ### Related projects - FIGlet is related to older banner programs, terminal ASCII-art tools, font collections using the FLF format, and later compatible tools such as TOIlet. ### Sources - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** figlet - **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 - figlet - 2.2.5-3+b2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: figlet from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Make large character ASCII banners out of ordinary text | http://www.figlet.org/ - Nix - figlet: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/fi/figlet/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - figlet - 2.2.5-3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: figlet from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Make large character ASCII banners out of ordinary text | http://www.figlet.org/ - apk - figlet - 2.2.5-r3: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: figlet from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Program for making large letters out of ordinary text | http://www.figlet.org/ - apk - figlet-doc - 2.2.5-r3: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: figlet-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Program for making large letters out of ordinary text (documentation) | http://www.figlet.org/ - dnf - figlet - 2.2.5-39.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: figlet from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | A program for making large letters out of ordinary text | http://www.figlet.org/ - pacman - figlet - 2.2.5-6: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: figlet from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | A program for making large letters out of ordinary text | http://www.figlet.org/ - zypper - figlet - 2.2.5-4.6: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: figlet from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Tool for Creating Cool ASCII-Art Signatures | http://www.figlet.org/ - MacPorts - figlet: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: textproc/figlet/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Scoop - main/figlet: normalized package name match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/figlet.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [chalk-cli](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/chalk-cli/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [chars](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/chars/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [chatblade](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/chatblade/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [ddgr](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ddgr/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [fx](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fx/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [fzf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fzf/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [fzy](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fzy/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [halp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/halp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal. - [figlet](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/npm/figlet/) - Same normalized package name appears in another local ecosystem. Shared terms: art, ascii, banner, figlet, text. - [figlet](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/npm/figlet/) - Same normalized package name in another local ecosystem. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/figlet.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/figlet.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - 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