# Install gnustep-base with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper Library of general-purpose, non-graphical Objective C objects. Version 1.31.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:gnustep-base ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install gnustep-base ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install gnustep-base ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: gnustep/gnustep-base/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install gnustep-base-common ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: gnustep-base-common from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install gnustep-base ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: gnustep-base 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#gnustep-base ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/gn/gnustep-base/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S gnustep-base ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: gnustep-base from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install gnustep-base ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: gnustep-base from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:gnustep-base - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.31.1 - **Source summary:** Library of general-purpose, non-graphical Objective C objects - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-2.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-22T14:03:37-07:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - HTMLLinker (cli) - autogsdoc (cli) - classes (cli) - cvtenc (cli) - defaults (cli) - gdnc (cli) - gdomap (cli) - gspath (cli) - make_strings (cli) - pl (cli) - pl2link (cli) - pldes (cli) - plget (cli) - plmerge (cli) - plparse (cli) - plser (cli) - plutil (cli) - sfparse (cli) - xmlparse (cli) - HTMLLinker (alias) - autogsdoc (alias) - classes (alias) - cvtenc (alias) - defaults (alias) - gdnc (alias) - gdomap (alias) - gspath (alias) - make_strings (alias) - pl (alias) - pl2link (alias) - pldes (alias) - plget (alias) - plmerge (alias) - plparse (alias) - plser (alias) - plutil (alias) - sfparse (alias) - xmlparse (alias) ## Dependencies - gmp - gnutls ## Build dependencies - gnustep-make - pkgconf ## Uses from macOS - libffi - libxml2 - libxslt ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.31.1 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-22 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/gnustep/libs-base - info: No cached GitHub release or tag data was available. ## Project history and usage GNUstep Base is the non-graphical Foundation layer of GNUstep, the GNU implementation of the OpenStep object and application environment. It gives Objective-C programs a portable class library for strings, collections, files, processes, property lists, notifications, distributed objects, and other services that sit below a graphical application framework. ### Project history GNUstep began as a free software implementation of the OpenStep APIs, preserving the NeXT/OpenStep programming model on Unix-like systems and other platforms. The Base library became the project's core runtime-facing library: the part needed by command-line tools, daemons, tests, and higher GNUstep frameworks before any GUI code enters the picture. The library's repository history and documentation show a long-running Foundation implementation maintained apart from the graphical back end. It accumulated compatibility work for Objective-C runtimes, property-list formats, Unicode and encoding handling, networking, process control, and developer utilities such as defaults, plparse, plutil, autogsdoc, and gspath. ### Adoption history GNUstep Base has been adopted mostly by developers who want the OpenStep or Cocoa-style Objective-C model outside Apple's platforms, along with GNUstep applications that depend on Foundation behavior. Its importance is less about mass end-user visibility and more about keeping an older but influential object system buildable through ordinary Unix package managers. The package appears across Unix distributions because it is a common dependency for GNUstep applications and developer tools. It also serves portability work: code can use Foundation-style APIs without tying every build to a proprietary platform SDK. ### How it is used Practitioners use GNUstep Base as a library dependency for Objective-C software and as a toolbox for inspecting and manipulating GNUstep property lists, defaults, documentation, and path configuration. The installed commands are practical companions to the library rather than a single monolithic application. Developers building GNUstep applications usually combine GNUstep Base with GNUstep Make, an Objective-C compiler/runtime, and, for graphical programs, GUI and back-end packages. For non-graphical Objective-C tools, Base alone supplies much of the Foundation-style environment. ### Why package nerds care GNUstep Base is a package-manager hinge for the GNUstep world. It brings Objective-C runtime concerns, Foundation compatibility, file layout conventions, and command-line developer utilities into one package, so a small formula or distribution package unlocks a larger OpenStep-derived ecosystem. ### Timeline - 1990s: GNUstep formed around a free implementation of the OpenStep environment. - 2000s: GNUstep Base matured as the Foundation-compatible non-graphical library used by GNUstep tools and applications. - 2010s: Repository hosting and distribution packaging made GNUstep Base easier to consume as a standalone dependency. - 2020s: The Base reference documentation and GitHub repository remained core entry points for developers. ### Related projects - GNUstep Make provides the build system commonly paired with GNUstep Base. - GNUstep GUI and back-end packages build graphical application support above Base. - Objective-C runtimes such as libobjc2 are relevant to many GNUstep deployments. ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes library-like package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - library-like package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** gnustep-base - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 3 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - gnustep-base-common - 1.31.1-3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: gnustep-base-common from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GNUstep Base library - common files | http://gnustep.org - Debian apt - gnustep-base-doc - 1.31.1-3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: gnustep-base-doc from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Documentation for the GNUstep Base Library | http://gnustep.org - Debian apt - gnustep-base-runtime - 1.31.1-3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: gnustep-base-runtime from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GNUstep Base library - daemons and tools | http://gnustep.org - Debian apt - libgnustep-base-dev - 1.31.1-3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libgnustep-base-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GNUstep Base header files and development libraries | http://gnustep.org - Debian apt - libgnustep-base1.31 - 1.31.1-3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libgnustep-base1.31 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GNUstep Base library | http://gnustep.org - Nix - gnustep-base: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/gn/gnustep-base/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - gnustep-base-common - 1.29.0-7ubuntu4: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: gnustep-base-common from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | GNUstep Base library - common files | http://gnustep.org - Ubuntu apt - gnustep-base-doc - 1.29.0-7ubuntu4: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: gnustep-base-doc from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Documentation for the GNUstep Base Library | http://gnustep.org - Ubuntu apt - gnustep-base-runtime - 1.29.0-7ubuntu4: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: gnustep-base-runtime from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | GNUstep Base library - daemons and tools | http://gnustep.org - Ubuntu apt - libgnustep-base-dev - 1.29.0-7ubuntu4: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libgnustep-base-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | GNUstep Base header files and development libraries | http://gnustep.org - Ubuntu apt - libgnustep-base1.29 - 1.29.0-7ubuntu4: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libgnustep-base1.29 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | GNUstep Base library | http://gnustep.org - dnf - gnustep-base - 1.31.0-9.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: gnustep-base from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | GNUstep Base library package | https://www.gnustep.org/ - dnf - gnustep-base-devel - 1.31.0-9.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: gnustep-base-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Header of the GNUstep Base library packes | https://www.gnustep.org/ - dnf - gnustep-base-doc - 1.31.0-9.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: gnustep-base-doc from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Documentation for gnustep-base | https://www.gnustep.org/ - dnf - gnustep-base-libs - 1.31.0-9.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: gnustep-base-libs from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | GNUStep Base Libraries | https://www.gnustep.org/ - pacman - gnustep-base - 1.31.1-3: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: gnustep-base from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | The GNUstep base package | http://www.gnustep.org/ ## 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. - [gnutls](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gnutls/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [objc-run](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/objc-run/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, objective-c. - [symfony-cli](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/symfony-cli/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, framework, frameworks. - [ada-url](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ada-url/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, library. - [anchor](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/anchor/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, framework. - [ancient](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ancient/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, library. - [apr](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/apr/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, library. - [apr-util](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/apr-util/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, library. - [atf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/atf/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, framework. - [plank](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/plank/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, framework, objective. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/gnustep-base.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/gnustep-base.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