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brew

Install gnu-units with Homebrew, winget, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, scoop, zypper

GNU unit conversion tool. Version 2.27 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install gnu-units

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add units

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · units · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install units

Debian stable package indexes · units · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install units

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · units · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#units

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/un/units/package.nix · source: api.github.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install units

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · units · source: download.opensuse.org

Windows

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%
winget install --id GNU.Units -e

Windows Package Manager source index · GNU.Units · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install main/units

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/units.json · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

GNU unit conversion tool

Commands and aliases

  • units

history

Project history and usage

GNU Units is a command-line unit conversion program and scientific calculator. It converts between measurement systems, checks dimensional consistency, supports nonlinear conversions, and reads its knowledge from data files that users can extend.

Project history

The GNU FTP archive records Units releases from the 1.x line in 1997 through the 2.x line, while the manual describes edition 2.25 and the program model used by the modern package. Its evolution turned a unit converter into a calculator that understands products, quotients, powers, roots, temperature conversions, unit lists, physical constants, currency data, CPI data, Unicode, readline, and custom definitions.

The project keeps unit definitions outside the executable. The GNU page and manual both stress that users can rely on the bundled data files or provide supplemental definitions, making the package partly a maintained measurement database and partly an interactive calculator.

Adoption history

GNU Units is broadly useful in engineering, science, cooking, astronomy, packaging, and everyday shell work because it gives unit-aware answers without opening a large computer algebra system. Its availability across Unix package managers and a Windows binary reflects that utility: the program is small, scriptable, and backed by a large curated unit database.

How it is used

Practitioners use units interactively at the You have and You want prompts, or non-interactively by passing source and destination expressions on the command line. They also use it to reduce a unit to its definition, search the database, verify conformability, calculate with constants, and add local definitions for domain-specific units.

Why package nerds care

Package nerds care about GNU Units because it turns messy measurement lore into a reproducible data file shipped by the operating system. It is one of those quiet command-line tools that prevents dimensional mistakes in scripts, documentation, package formulas, lab notebooks, and build-time calculations.

Timeline

  • 1997: GNU FTP archive lists units 1.53.
  • 2012: GNU FTP archive lists units 2.00.
  • 2024: GNU FTP archive lists units 2.23 and 2.24.
  • 2026: GNU FTP archive lists units 2.27.

Related projects

  • Related tools include bc, dc, physical-constants tables, currency data updaters, readline-enabled command interpreters, and unit support in scientific programming environments.

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 6 platform targets.
  • Installs with 1 runtime 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

CommandKindExposureNote
unitscliglobal 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 version2.27
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://www.gnu.org/software/units/

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
  • infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.gnu.org/software/units/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:gnu-units
Version2.27
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/gnu-units
Homepagehttps://www.gnu.org/software/units/
Upstream docshttps://www.gnu.org/software/units/manual/units.html
LicenseGPL-3.0-or-later
Source archivehttps://ftpmirror.gnu.org/gnu/units/units-2.27.tar.gz
Dependenciesreadline
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared
CaveatsAll commands have been installed with the prefix "g". If you need to use these commands with their normal names, you can add a "gnubin" directory to your PATH from your bashrc like: PATH="$HOMEBREW_PREFIX/opt/gnu-units/libexec/gnubin:$PATH"

registry facts

Source database details

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

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

winget95%

GNU.Units

winget install --id GNU.Units -e
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gnu Units
Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: GNU.Units from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix
Debian apt92%

units 2.24-1+deb13u1

converts between different systems of units

https://www.gnu.org/software/units/

sudo apt install units
  • Section: utils
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 2 dependencies
  • 2 optional deps
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Units
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: units from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix92%

units

nix profile install nixpkgs#units
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Units
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/un/units/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Ubuntu apt92%

units 2.23-1build2

converts between different systems of units

https://www.gnu.org/software/units/

sudo apt install units
  • Section: universe/utils
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 2 dependencies
  • 2 optional deps
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Units
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: units from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
apk92%

units 2.23-r0

Units conversion and calculation program

https://www.gnu.org/software/units/

sudo apk add units
  • License: GPL-3.0-only
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: units
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Units
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: units from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk92%

units-cur-update 2.23-r0

Units conversion and calculation program (currency database updater)

https://www.gnu.org/software/units/

sudo apk add units-cur-update
  • License: GPL-3.0-only
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: units
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Units
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: units-cur-update from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk92%

units-doc 2.23-r0

Units conversion and calculation program (documentation)

https://www.gnu.org/software/units/

sudo apk add units-doc
  • License: GPL-3.0-only
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: units
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Units
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: units-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
dnf92%

units 2.27-2.fc45

A utility for converting amounts from one unit to another

https://www.gnu.org/software/units/units.html

sudo dnf install units
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: units
  • 8 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Units
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: units from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
zypper92%

units 2.27-1.2

Conversion Utility

https://www.gnu.org/software/units/

sudo zypper install units
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Category: Productivity/Scientific/Physics
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: units
  • 5 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Units
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: units from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
Scoop92%

main/units

scoop install main/units
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Units
Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/units.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

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

Related tools

Same workflow

  • rinkShares av.db curated category or tags: calculator, cli, science, unit-conversion.
  • calcShares av.db curated category or tags: calculator, cli, science.
  • glpkShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, gnu, science.
  • gnuastroShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, gnu, science.
  • libqalculateShares av.db curated category or tags: calculator, cli, science.
  • numbatShares av.db curated category or tags: calculator, cli, science.

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
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment