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Install format-udf with Homebrew

Bash script to format a block device to UDF. Version 1.8.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install format-udf

local Homebrew formula metadata

overview

Package summary

Bash script to format a block device to UDF

Commands and aliases

  • format-udf

history

Project history and usage

format-udf is a Bash script for formatting block devices as UDF volumes intended to be read and written across Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its README presents it as a compatibility tool for external hard drives and flash drives.

Project history

The GitHub repository was created in August 2014. The README says the project was created to address operating-system-specific quirks that make naively formatted UDF devices fail across platforms, including block-size expectations, partition-table behavior, and macOS full-disk mounting behavior.

Adoption history

The project remains a focused utility rather than a broad platform. Its official release history shows incremental fixes around OS and device support, including macOS 10.12 support, loop devices, udftools 2.0+, NVMe, and broader block-device handling.

How it is used

Users run the script against a Linux device such as /dev/sdx or a macOS device such as /dev/diskN, supplying a volume label. The script detects block size, validates dependencies, can wipe the target, formats with UDF revision 2.01 for compatibility, and writes a fake MBR unless disabled.

Why package nerds care

format-udf matters to package nerds because it codifies a pile of cross-platform filesystem edge cases in one auditable shell script. It is the kind of small system package that exists because the underlying native tools are powerful but not friendly to a portable-disk workflow.

Timeline

  • 2014: GitHub repository created.
  • 2016: Release added macOS 10.12 support.
  • 2018: Release added support for udftools 2.0 and newer.
  • 2020: Releases added Linux NVMe and broader block-device support.

Related projects

  • format-udf depends on platform tools such as mkudffs or newfs_udf and wraps Universal Disk Format workflows. Its README discusses the fake-MBR technique used to improve Windows compatibility for whole-disk UDF volumes.

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.

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
format-udfcliglobal 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 version1.8.0
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detected1.8.0

https://github.com/JElchison/format-udf

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:format-udf
Version1.8.0
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/format-udf
Homepagehttps://github.com/JElchison/format-udf
Repositoryhttps://github.com/JElchison/format-udf
Upstream docshttps://github.com/JElchison/format-udf#readme
LicenseGPL-2.0-or-later
Source archivehttps://github.com/JElchison/format-udf/archive/refs/tags/1.8.0.tar.gz
Bottleavailable (on all)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

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

package graph

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

Same workflow

  • btfsShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, filesystems, system.
  • btrfs-progsShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, filesystems, system.
  • dosfstoolsShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, filesystems, system.
  • dwarfsShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, filesystems, system.
  • dyskShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, filesystems, system.
  • e2fsprogsShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, filesystems, system.

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
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment