macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install gforthlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install gforthMacPorts ports tree · lang/gforth/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install gforth with Homebrew, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, apt, winget
Implementation of the ANS Forth language. Version 0.7.3 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install gforthFedora Rawhide package metadata · gforth · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#gforthnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/gf/gforth/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Ubuntu aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install gforthUbuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · gforth · source: archive.ubuntu.com
Windows
Windows Package Managerverified · 92%
winget install --id GNU.Gforth -eWindows Package Manager source index · GNU.Gforth · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com
overview
Package summary
Implementation of the ANS Forth language
Project links
Commands and aliases
- gforth
- gforth-0.7.3
- gforth-fast
- gforth-fast-0.7.3
- gforth-itc
- gforth-itc-0.7.3
- gforthmi
- gforthmi-0.7.3
- vmgen
- vmgen-0.7.3
history
Project history and usage
Gforth is the GNU project's Forth implementation, a portable system for ANS Forth and Forth 2012 programming. Its history sits at the intersection of language-standard reference work, interactive programming, GNU packaging, and virtual-machine generation.
Project history
The Gforth manuals carry Free Software Foundation copyright years beginning in 1995, and the project page names Anton Ertl as project initiator and Bernd Paysan as project leader. The stated project goal was to develop a standard model for ANSI Forth: conforming to the standard, documenting implementation-dependent behavior, gaining broad acceptance, remaining efficient, remaining free, and being portable.
Adoption history
Gforth became a GNU language runtime with broad platform reach across GNU, BSD-like systems, Windows, macOS, Android/Linux, and embedded-control targets. The project page connects it to the Forth standard, Forth community resources, the Gforth mailing list, and comp.lang.forth.
How it is used
Practitioners use Gforth as an interactive Forth environment, a compiler/runtime for Forth source, a learning system with a substantial manual and tutorial, and a platform for exploring threaded-code implementation techniques. Its tool set includes `gforth`, faster and indirect-threaded variants, image-building helpers, and `vmgen` for generating efficient interpreters.
Why package nerds care
Gforth matters to package maintainers because it is both a GNU language implementation and a self-hosting-style Forth environment with multiple installed executables. It brings a historically important niche language into the same package-manager workflows as more common compilers and interpreters.
Timeline
- 1995: Gforth documentation copyright history begins in the FSF manuals.
- 2003: Gforth and Vmgen 0.6.2 were announced on GNU mailing lists.
- 2008: The 0.7.0 manual described Gforth as a fast, portable ANS Forth implementation.
- 2018: The online manual line described version 0.7.9 snapshots and Forth tutorial material.
- 2024: A Dagstuhl software artifact entry archived Gforth source from Savannah.
Related projects
- Gforth is related to the Forth standard, GNU, Vmgen, Emacs integration, Forth community sites, and other Forth systems such as fig-Forth and F83 that informed its standard-model goals.
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 13 platform targets.
- Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 1 build 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
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
gforth | cli | global executable | |
gforth-0.7.3 | cli | global executable | |
gforth-fast | cli | global executable | |
gforth-fast-0.7.3 | cli | global executable | |
gforth-itc | cli | global executable | |
gforth-itc-0.7.3 | cli | global executable | |
gforthmi | cli | global executable | |
gforthmi-0.7.3 | cli | global executable | |
vmgen | cli | global executable | |
vmgen-0.7.3 | 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 version0.7.3
manager updated2026-06-22
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://www.gnu.org/software/gforth/
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.gnu.org/software/gforth/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:gforth |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.7.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/gforth |
| Homepage | https://www.gnu.org/software/gforth/ |
| Repository | https://git.savannah.gnu.org/git/gforth.git |
| Upstream docs | https://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/forth/gforth/Docs-html |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/gnu/gforth/gforth-0.7.3.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-22T14:03:28-07:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | libtool |
| Build dependencies | emacs |
| Uses from macOS | libffi |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, 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 | gforth |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 3 |
| 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.
Nix95%
gforth
nix profile install nixpkgs#gforth- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Gforth
Ubuntu apt95%
gforth 0.7.3+dfsg-9build4.1
GNU Forth Language Environment
https://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/projects/forth.html
sudo apt install gforth- Section: universe/interpreters
- Architecture: amd64
- 5 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Gforth
Ubuntu apt95%
gforth-common 0.7.3+dfsg-9build4.1
GNU Forth architecture-independent dictionaries
https://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/projects/forth.html
sudo apt install gforth-common- Section: universe/interpreters
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: gforth
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Gforth
Ubuntu apt95%
gforth-lib 0.7.3+dfsg-9build4.1
GNU Forth Language Environment architecture-dependent files
https://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/projects/forth.html
sudo apt install gforth-lib- Section: universe/interpreters
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: gforth
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Gforth
dnf95%
gforth 0.7.3-36.fc44
Fast and portable implementation of the ANS Forth language
http://www.gnu.org/software/gforth/
sudo dnf install gforth- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: gforth
- 10 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Gforth
MacPorts95%
gforth
sudo port install gforth- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Gforth
winget95%
GNU.Gforth
winget install --id GNU.Gforth -e- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Gforth
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