# Install heatshrink with Homebrew, apt, Nix, zypper Data compression library for embedded/real-time systems. Version 0.4.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:heatshrink ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install heatshrink ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install heatshrink ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: heatshrink from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#heatshrink ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/he/heatshrink/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install heatshrink ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: heatshrink from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:heatshrink - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.4.1 - **Source summary:** Data compression library for embedded/real-time systems - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** ISC - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - heatshrink (cli) - heatshrink (alias) ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 0.4.1 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/atomicobject/heatshrink - Upstream latest detected: v0.4.1 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## Project history and usage heatshrink is a small C compression and decompression library aimed at embedded and real-time systems, with a companion command-line program for testing and measuring compression settings. Its package-manager interest comes from being a tiny, copy-into-your-firmware style library that also ships as a Unix CLI. ### Project history Atomic Object published heatshrink as an LZSS-based compressor for environments where bounded memory and bounded CPU work are more important than maximum compression ratio. The repository metadata records the public GitHub project from March 2013, and the README describes a design that can run in tens or hundreds of bytes of memory, can be statically allocated, and exposes independent encoder and decoder files for direct embedding. The project later documented an optional lightweight index for faster compression. That index kept with the same embedded-systems tradeoff: spend a small, predictable amount of additional memory to reduce search cost rather than introducing a large general-purpose compression runtime. ### Adoption history heatshrink spread as a niche systems package rather than as an application platform. The input package facts record it in Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Nix, and openSUSE-style packaging, which is typical for compact C utilities that developers want available both on build hosts and inside automated firmware toolchains. ### How it is used The README presents two usage modes: the standalone `heatshrink` command for compressing, decompressing, and evaluating window/lookahead settings, and direct inclusion of the encoder or decoder source files in another C project. Configuration centers on window size, lookahead size, input buffer size, and whether dynamic allocation is disabled for embedded builds. ### Why package nerds care For package nerds, heatshrink is interesting because it sits between a library and a diagnostic CLI. It is small enough to vendor into firmware, but packaging it gives Unix developers a reproducible host-side tool for generating or inspecting compressed payloads with the same algorithm as the embedded target. ### Timeline - 2013: Public GitHub repository metadata records the heatshrink project. - 2013: Atomic Object published an overview of heatshrink for embedded data compression. - 2014: Atomic Object documented the optional lightweight index used to speed compression. - Package-manager era: The input package facts record heatshrink availability in Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Nix, and zypper-family packaging. ### Related projects - heatshrink is related to the LZSS family of compressors and to embedded-friendly compression tools that favor predictable memory use over maximum compression ratio. It is also adjacent to firmware build systems that need a host-side compressor matching a tiny decoder on the device. ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. - **Geiger risk:** blue / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** heatshrink - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - heatshrink - 0.4.1-3+b1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: heatshrink from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | data compression/decompression library for embedded/real-time systems | https://github.com/atomicobject/heatshrink/ - Debian apt - libheatshrink-dev - 0.4.1-3+b1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libheatshrink-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | data compression/decompression library for embedded/real-time systems | https://github.com/atomicobject/heatshrink/ - Nix - heatshrink: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/he/heatshrink/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - heatshrink - 0.4.1-3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: heatshrink from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | data compression/decompression library for embedded/real-time systems | https://github.com/atomicobject/heatshrink/ - Ubuntu apt - libheatshrink-dev - 0.4.1-3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libheatshrink-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | data compression/decompression library for embedded/real-time systems | https://github.com/atomicobject/heatshrink/ - zypper - heatshrink - 0.4.1-1.7: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: heatshrink from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Data compression library for embedded/real-time systems | https://github.com/atomicobject/heatshrink - zypper - heatshrink-devel - 0.4.1-1.7: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: heatshrink-devel from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Development files for the heatshrink data compression library | https://github.com/atomicobject/heatshrink - zypper - libheatshrink0_4_1 - 0.4.1-1.7: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libheatshrink0_4_1 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Data compression library for embedded/real-time systems | https://github.com/atomicobject/heatshrink - zypper - libheatshrink_dynalloc0_4_1 - 0.4.1-1.7: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libheatshrink_dynalloc0_4_1 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Data compression library for embedded/real-time systems | https://github.com/atomicobject/heatshrink ## 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. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [zxc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/zxc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c-library, cli, compression, data. - [bzip2](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bzip2/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, data. - [bzip3](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bzip3/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, data. - [cmix](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cmix/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, data. - [hdt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/hdt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, data. - [liblzf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/liblzf/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, data. - [precomp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/precomp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, data. - [zfp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/zfp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, data. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/heatshrink.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/heatshrink.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