Install identme with Homebrew, apk, scoop

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• identme

Project history

The project repository describes ident.me as public IP addresses exposed as apps and APIs, and the public site presents IPv4, IPv6, browser, header, WebRTC, and geolocation-related data. The repository contains backend, API, CLI, web, iOS, and package-related directories, showing the service grew beyond a one-endpoint web page.

The Homebrew formula packages the CLI as identme with a 0BSD license. The GitHub repository moved under the xmit-co organization while preserving the pcarrier/ident.me redirect, which is why both URLs appear in package metadata and documentation.

Adoption history

Public-IP lookup tools are adopted because they are easy to script in NAT, VPN, dual-stack, and cloud troubleshooting workflows. ident.me's value is its deliberately small surface: it can be used as a site in a browser, an API endpoint, or a packaged command.

Homebrew, Alpine, Scoop, and FreeBSD-style packaging indicate a small but cross-platform user base. This is utility packaging rather than framework packaging: users install it for a single answer in scripts or diagnostics.

How it is used

The CLI and service are used to retrieve the public IP address visible from outside the local network. The website also exposes browser-visible information such as language, timezone, user agent, headers, and WebRTC-related addresses.

A package-manager install avoids shell aliases around curl endpoints and gives users a named command whose implementation can track the service API.

Why package nerds care

identme is significant in the small-tool sense: it turns an online diagnostic endpoint into a packageable command with a permissive license. That makes it useful for dotfiles, provisioning scripts, and network smoke tests.

It also shows how modern package managers package tiny service clients when the service itself is the product: the executable is light, but the reliability and ownership of the endpoint matter.

Timeline

• 2025-02-13: ident.me v0.6.0 was released on GitHub.
• 2025: Homebrew packaged identme 0.6.0 as a public IP address lookup tool.
• 2026: The GitHub repository path pcarrier/ident.me redirected to xmit-co/ident.me.

Related projects

• The tool sits in the same practical category as ifconfig.me, icanhazip, checkip-style services, and curl-based public-IP snippets. Unlike those bare endpoints, ident.me also ships application and CLI code in its repository.
• The repository includes service, CLI, web, iOS, and packaging pieces, tying the command-line package to a broader public-IP lookup service.

Sources

• https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/identme
• https://github.com/pcarrier/ident.me
• https://github.com/xmit-co/ident.me
• https://github.com/xmit-co/ident.me/releases/tag/v0.6.0
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pcarrier/ident.me/main/README.md
• https://www.ident.me