# Install harbour with Homebrew, winget

Portable, xBase-compatible programming language and environment. Version 3.0.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-25.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:harbour
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install harbour
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Windows

- winget (92%):

```sh
winget install --id Harbour.Harbour -e
```

  Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: Harbour.Harbour from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:harbour
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Package manager page:** <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/harbour>
- **Version:** 3.0.0
- **Source summary:** Portable, xBase-compatible programming language and environment
- **Homepage:** <https://harbour.github.io>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/harbour/core>
- **Upstream docs:** <https://harbour.github.io/doc>
- **License:** GPL-2.0-or-later
- **Source archive:** <https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/harbour-project/source/3.0.0/harbour-3.0.0.tar.bz2>
- **Last updated:** 2026-06-25T13:37:45+02:00
- **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00

## Executables

- harbour (cli)
- hb3rdpat.hbs (cli)
- hbi18n (cli)
- hbmk2 (cli)
- hbpp (cli)
- hbtest (cli)
- harbour (alias)
- hb3rdpat.hbs (alias)
- hbi18n (alias)
- hbmk2 (alias)
- hbpp (alias)
- hbtest (alias)

## Dependencies

- jpeg-turbo
- libharu
- libpng
- libxdiff
- minizip
- pcre

## Uses from macOS

- bzip2
- curl
- expat
- ncurses
- sqlite

## 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: 3.0.0
- Package-manager updated: 2026-06-25
- Local data: ok
- Upstream repository: https://harbour.github.io
- info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.
## Project history and usage

Harbour is a free software implementation of a Clipper/xBase-compatible programming language, compiler, runtime, build system, and library environment. It exists to keep xBase-style business applications portable across modern systems.

### Project history

The official Harbour FAQ says the idea of a free software Clipper compiler had circulated in the comp.lang.clipper community, and that actual development began in early 1999 when Antonio Linares started discussing a Clipper grammar built with Lex and Yacc.

The official homepage describes Harbour as a cross-platform, multi-threading, object-oriented, scriptable language implementation with compiler and runtime libraries, UI/database/I/O backends, its own build system, and bindings for popular APIs.

The homepage lists a stable 3.0.0 release dated 2011-07-17, while the GitHub repository remains the official source-control location for the core implementation.

### Adoption history

Harbour's audience is narrower than a mainstream language runtime: it serves developers maintaining or modernizing CA-Clipper, dBase, FoxPro-like, and other xBase-family code. Its value is continuity for business/database applications that can be compiled and run on newer operating systems.

The supplied package facts show a small package-manager footprint, which fits a specialist language environment rather than a foundational system dependency.

### How it is used

Users write or port xBase/Clipper-style source, compile it with Harbour tools, and link against Harbour runtime libraries and optional UI, database, networking, crypto, compression, or platform bindings.

The Homebrew package exposes compiler and tool executables such as `harbour`, `hbmk2`, `hbpp`, `hbi18n`, and `hbtest`, making it useful for rebuilding legacy applications or experimenting with xBase code on macOS.

### Why package nerds care

Harbour is notable to package collectors because it preserves a business-programming lineage that otherwise belongs to DOS and early PC database tooling. It is a compatibility bridge, not just another compiler.

Packaging such a toolchain means caring about C compiler interoperability, runtime library layout, build helper tools, and cross-platform assumptions carried forward from Clipper-era source code.

### Timeline

- 1999: Official FAQ says actual Harbour development began in early 1999.
- 2000s: Harbour grows into a compiler plus runtime libraries, backends, build tooling, and API bindings.
- 2011-07-17: Official homepage lists Harbour 3.0.0 stable release.
- 2020s: Official GitHub repository hosts Harbour core as a portable xBase-compatible language and environment.

### Related projects

- Related projects and technologies include CA-Clipper, dBase, FoxPro, xHarbour, xBase++, FlagShip, DBF file tooling, and GUI libraries used by Harbour applications.
- Harbour also relates to C compilers because Harbour-generated or Harbour-linked programs depend on the platform C toolchain.

### Sources

- <https://github.com/harbour/core>
- <https://harbour.github.io/>
- <https://harbour.github.io/doc/>
- <https://harbour.github.io/faq>


## Security Notes

generalized runtime or code generation signal.

- **Geiger risk:** yellow / medium
- generalized runtime or code generation signal

## Source Database Details

- **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API
- **Tap:** homebrew/core
- **Full Name:** harbour
- **Version Scheme:** 0
- **Revision:** 2
- **Head Version:** HEAD
- **Bottle Stable Root URL:** <https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core>
- **Deprecated:** yes
- **Disabled:** no
- **Keg Only:** no
- **URL Keys:** head, stable

## Other Package-Manager Records

- winget - Harbour.Harbour: normalized package name match | Windows Package Manager source index: Harbour.Harbour from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix


## Related links

- [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family.
- [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals.
- [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata.
- [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata.
- [jpeg-turbo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jpeg-turbo/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew.
- [libpng](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libpng/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew.
- [pcre](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pcre/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew.
- [haxe](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/haxe/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compiler, cross-platform, language-runtime, programming-language.
- [algol68g](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/algol68g/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compiler, language-runtime, programming-language.
- [ats2-postiats](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ats2-postiats/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compiler, language-runtime, programming-language.
- [ballerina](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ballerina/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compiler, language-runtime, programming-language.
- [c3c](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/c3c/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compiler, language-runtime, programming-language.
- [chapel](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/chapel/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compiler, language-runtime, programming-language.
- [chezscheme](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/chezscheme/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compiler, language-runtime, programming-language.
- [clojurescript](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clojurescript/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compiler, language-runtime, programming-language.
- [halide](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/halide/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, compiler, jpeg, jpeg-turbo, language.
- [openjdk](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/openjdk/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, compiler, jpeg, jpeg-turbo, language.

## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/harbour.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/harbour.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