macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libarchivelocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install libarchiveMacPorts ports tree · archivers/libarchive/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install libarchive with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper
Multi-format archive and compression library. Version 3.8.8 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-24.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add libarchiveAlpine Linux edge package indexes · libarchive · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install libarchive-devDebian stable package indexes · libarchive-dev · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install bsdcatFedora Rawhide package metadata · bsdcat · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#libarchivenixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/li/libarchive/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S libarchiveArch Linux sync databases · libarchive · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install bsdtaropenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · bsdtar · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Multi-format archive and compression library
Project links
Commands and aliases
- bsdcat
- bsdcpio
- bsdtar
- bsdunzip
history
Project history and usage
libarchive is a portable C library and command-line tool suite for reading and writing many archive formats. It ships bsdtar, bsdcpio, bsdcat, and bsdunzip, making it both a developer library and a practical Unix toolbox package.
Project history
The project began in the FreeBSD orbit and was first released in 2006, according to its own libarchive 3.0 transition notes. Its design emphasized streaming, automatic format detection, and a single API that could handle tar, cpio, zip, ISO images, compression filters, and later many more formats.
Adoption history
libarchive spread widely because packaging systems, installers, build tools, and OS utilities all need to unpack archives without shelling out to a pile of format-specific programs. Its bsdtar and bsdcpio utilities became FreeBSD-associated alternatives to GNU tar and cpio, while the library itself was packaged across Linux, macOS, BSD, and Windows-oriented environments.
How it is used
Applications link libarchive to read and write archives through one API, while users run bsdtar, bsdcpio, bsdcat, or bsdunzip. The project site emphasizes automatic handling of archive-plus-compression combinations such as tar.gz and support for POSIX-like systems plus Windows.
Why package nerds care
libarchive is one of those packages that quietly makes package managers work. Its importance is in boring reliability: many archive formats, many platforms, a test suite, and CLI tools that can replace multiple single-format utilities.
Timeline
- 2006: libarchive was first released.
- 2011-12: libarchive 3.0 was released after nearly two years of development since 2.8.
- 2016-04-30: libarchive 3.2.0 added bsdcat, LZ4, WARC, raw writer, and ZIP64-related features.
- 2018-09-03: libarchive 3.3.3 included Zstandard read and write filters.
- 2023-07-14: the project recorded a bsdunzip port from FreeBSD in NEWS.
Related projects
- Related projects include FreeBSD tar and cpio tooling, GNU tar, Info-ZIP, zlib, bzip2, xz, lz4, zstd, archive-consuming package managers, and installers.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
library-like package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- library-like package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:library-like
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 4 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.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
bsdcat | cli | global executable | |
bsdcpio | cli | global executable | |
bsdtar | cli | global executable | |
bsdunzip | cli | global 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 version3.8.8
manager updated2026-06-24
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.libarchive.orgnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:libarchive |
|---|---|
| Version | 3.8.8 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libarchive |
| Homepage | https://www.libarchive.org |
| Repository | https://github.com/libarchive/libarchive |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/libarchive/libarchive/wiki |
| License | BSD-2-Clause |
| Source archive | https://www.libarchive.org/downloads/libarchive-3.8.8.tar.xz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-24T06:11:28Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | libb2, lz4, xz, zstd |
| Uses from macOS | bzip2, expat |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | libarchive |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | yes |
| URL Keys |
|
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%
libarchive-dev 3.7.4-4+deb13u1
Multi-format archive and compression library (development files)
sudo apt install libarchive-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libarchive
- 10 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
Debian apt95%
libarchive-tools 3.7.4-4+deb13u1
FreeBSD implementations of 'tar' and 'cpio' and other archive tools
sudo apt install libarchive-tools- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libarchive
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
Debian apt95%
libarchive13t64 3.7.4-4+deb13u1
Multi-format archive and compression library (shared library)
sudo apt install libarchive13t64- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libarchive
- 9 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
Nix95%
libarchive
nix profile install nixpkgs#libarchive- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
Ubuntu apt95%
libarchive-dev 3.7.2-2
Multi-format archive and compression library (development files)
sudo apt install libarchive-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libarchive
- 10 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
Ubuntu apt95%
libarchive-tools 3.7.2-2
FreeBSD implementations of 'tar' and 'cpio' and other archive tools
sudo apt install libarchive-tools- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libarchive
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
Ubuntu apt95%
libarchive13t64 3.7.2-2
Multi-format archive and compression library (shared library)
sudo apt install libarchive13t64- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libarchive
- 9 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
apk95%
libarchive 3.8.7-r0
library that can create and read several streaming archive formats
sudo apk add libarchive- License: BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause AND Public-Domain
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libarchive
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
apk95%
libarchive-dev 3.8.7-r0
library that can create and read several streaming archive formats (development files)
sudo apk add libarchive-dev- License: BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause AND Public-Domain
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libarchive
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
apk95%
libarchive-doc 3.8.7-r0
library that can create and read several streaming archive formats (documentation)
sudo apk add libarchive-doc- License: BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause AND Public-Domain
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libarchive
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
apk95%
libarchive-static 3.8.7-r0
library that can create and read several streaming archive formats (static library)
sudo apk add libarchive-static- License: BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause AND Public-Domain
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libarchive
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
apk95%
libarchive-tools 3.8.7-r0
libarchive tools bsdtar and bsdcpio
sudo apk add libarchive-tools- License: BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause AND Public-Domain
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libarchive
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
dnf95%
bsdcat 3.8.7-1.fc45
Expand files to standard output
sudo dnf install bsdcat- License: BSD-2-Clause AND FSFULLR AND GPL-2.0-or-later WITH Libtool-exception AND BSD-3-Clause AND FSFUL
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libarchive
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
dnf95%
bsdcpio 3.8.7-1.fc45
Copy files to and from archives
sudo dnf install bsdcpio- License: BSD-2-Clause AND FSFULLR AND GPL-2.0-or-later WITH Libtool-exception AND BSD-3-Clause AND FSFUL
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libarchive
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
dnf95%
bsdtar 3.8.7-1.fc45
Manipulate tape archives
sudo dnf install bsdtar- License: BSD-2-Clause AND FSFULLR AND GPL-2.0-or-later WITH Libtool-exception AND BSD-3-Clause AND FSFUL
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libarchive
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
dnf95%
bsdunzip 3.8.7-1.fc45
Extract files from a ZIP archive
sudo dnf install bsdunzip- License: BSD-2-Clause AND FSFULLR AND GPL-2.0-or-later WITH Libtool-exception AND BSD-3-Clause AND FSFUL
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libarchive
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libarchive
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.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment