Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install less with Homebrew, apk, chocolatey, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget, zypper

Pager program similar to more. Version 704 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-06.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install less

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install less

MacPorts ports tree · textproc/less/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add less

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

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install less

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

Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install less

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

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#less

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

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S less

Arch Linux sync databases · less · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install less

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

overview

Package summary

Pager program similar to more

Commands and aliases

  • less
  • lesskey

history

Project history and usage

less is a classic terminal pager: a free, open source program for viewing text one screen at a time, similar to more but with richer navigation and search behavior.

Project history

The official FAQ says less was written by Mark Nudelman and is maintained by him. The source tree's copyright file dates the code line to 1984, and the README identifies the distribution as part of the GNU project while also documenting a separate Less License option.

The program has stayed under active maintenance for decades. Greenwood Software's release page records many numbered releases from the 2010s and 2020s, while the NEWS file tracks ongoing pager features such as OSC 8 hyperlink handling, command mapping, prompt expansion, mouse support, regex behavior, and platform fixes.

Adoption history

The official home page describes less as present on most Linux, Unix, and Mac OS systems and on many other operating systems. The FAQ also notes distribution through standard Unix-like system software and GNU archives.

Its adoption is helped by being a drop-in pager for commands and environment variables such as PAGER. Developers use it through man, git, shells, build logs, and package-manager output without always invoking it directly.

How it is used

less opens files or standard input for interactive viewing, with forward and backward movement, searching, marks, filtering, follow mode, and configurable key bindings through lesskey-style configuration.

Package builds usually install the less and lesskey executables plus manual pages. The README recommends downloading numbered release packages from Greenwood Software for ordinary use and cloning the Git repository only for source development.

Why package nerds care

less is package-nerd bedrock: a tiny command that sits in the path of almost every Unix developer workflow. Its value is partly invisible because many tools delegate paging to it, making the package a system utility dependency rather than an application people consciously launch.

Timeline

  • 1984: The less source copyright line begins with Mark Nudelman's 1984 copyright.
  • 2011: Greenwood Software recorded less-444 as a general-use release on June 9, 2011.
  • 2021: less-581.2 was released for general use on April 28, 2021.
  • 2026: less-702 was released for general use on May 22, 2026.

Related projects

  • more is the older pager less is explicitly compared with.
  • GNU distributes less, and many Unix-like systems ship it as part of their standard toolset.

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 2 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.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/lesskey~/.config/lesskey~/.lesskey/usr/local/etc/syslesskey
Windows
~/_lesskeylesskey.inic:\syslesskey

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
lesscliglobal executable
lesskeycliglobal 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 version704
manager updated2026-06-06
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://www.greenwoodsoftware.com/less/index.html

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:less
Version704
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/less
Homepagehttps://www.greenwoodsoftware.com/less/index.html
Repositoryhttps://github.com/gwsw/less
Upstream docshttps://www.greenwoodsoftware.com/less/faq.html
LicenseGPL-3.0-or-later
Source archivehttps://www.greenwoodsoftware.com/less/less-704.tar.gz
Last updated2026-06-06T20:47:51Z
Pulseupdated
Dependenciesncurses, pcre2
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Nameless
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Head VersionHEAD
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • head
  • 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.

Debian apt95%

less 668-1

pager program similar to more

http://www.greenwoodsoftware.com/less/

sudo apt install less
  • Section: text
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 2 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Less
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: less from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

less

nix profile install nixpkgs#less
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Less
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/le/less/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Ubuntu apt95%

less 590-2ubuntu2

pager program similar to more

http://www.greenwoodsoftware.com/less/

sudo apt install less
  • Section: text
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 2 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Less
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: less from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
apk95%

less 702-r0

File pager

https://www.greenwoodsoftware.com/less/

sudo apk add less
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later OR BSD-2-Clause
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: less
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Less
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: less from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

less-doc 702-r0

File pager (documentation)

https://www.greenwoodsoftware.com/less/

sudo apk add less-doc
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later OR BSD-2-Clause
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: less
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Less
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: less-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
dnf95%

less 702-1.fc45

A text file browser similar to more, but better

https://www.greenwoodsoftware.com/less/

sudo dnf install less
  • License: (GPL-3.0-only OR BSD-2-Clause) AND GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: less
  • 4 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Less
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: less from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
dnf95%

less-color 702-1.fc45

Colorizers for less

https://www.greenwoodsoftware.com/less/

sudo dnf install less-color
  • License: GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: less
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Less
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: less-color from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
pacman95%

less 1:704-1

A terminal based program for viewing text files

https://www.greenwoodsoftware.com/less/

sudo pacman -S less
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later OR LicenseRef-Less
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • 3 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Less
Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: less from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/core/os/x86_64/core.db.tar.gz
zypper95%

less 702-1.1

Text File Browser and Pager Similar to more

https://www.greenwoodsoftware.com/less/

sudo zypper install less
  • License: BSD-2-Clause OR GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Category: Productivity/Text/Utilities
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: less
  • 4 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Less
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: less from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
MacPorts95%

less

sudo port install less
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Less
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: textproc/less/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Chocolatey95%

Less

choco install Less
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Less
Chocolatey community package catalog · community.chocolatey.org · Chocolatey community package catalog: Less from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','kubectx'
Scoop95%

main/less

scoop install main/less
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Less
Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/less.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1
winget95%

jftuga.less

winget install --id jftuga.less -e
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Less
Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: jftuga.less from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

package graph

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

Related tools

  • ncursesRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • pcre2Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • ovShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, pager, system, terminal, text-viewer.
  • abducoShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, terminal.
  • cmatrixShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, terminal.
  • cocotShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, terminal.
  • colortailShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, terminal.
  • dtachShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, terminal.
  • lessSame normalized package name in another local ecosystem.

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 configuration and credential file locations
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment