install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install libart

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install libart

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

overview

Package summary

Library for high-performance 2D graphics

Project links

Commands and aliases

libart2-config

history

Project history and usage

Libart is Raph Levien's small, optimized C library for antialiased 2D vector graphics. Its upstream page describes it as the rendering engine for GNOME Canvas and Gill, with an imaging model close to SVG, Java 2D, and PostScript plus antialiasing and alpha compositing.

Project history

Libart grew out of the late-1990s GNOME graphics stack, where GNOME needed a structured canvas and antialiased vector rendering before Cairo existed. Levien's project page says the source lived in GNOME CVS and that he owned the copyright to the code base, while GNOME distributed the LGPL-oriented libart_lgpl tarballs for use by desktop components.

The 2000 Freenix paper on GNOME Canvas documented a section called the Libart Imaging Model, showing how paths, sorted vector paths, antialiasing, stroking, raster images, and microtile arrays fit into the canvas update and rendering pipeline.

Adoption history

Libart was adopted by GNOME Canvas, Gill, and other GNOME-era applications that needed vector drawing before newer 2D APIs became common. GNOME's source archive shows the libart_lgpl 2.3 release line continuing through 2.3.21 on 2010-04-01, which is why package managers still carry it mostly for older software compatibility.

How it is used

The library is used by C and C++ programs that need low-level vector path rendering, Bezier and vector path data structures, alpha compositing, affine transforms, and region/microtile calculations. On Unix packages, the small `libart2-config` helper exposed compiler and linker flags to dependent builds.

Why package nerds care

Libart is a classic compatibility package: small, old, and mostly invisible until some older GNOME, graphics, or document-rendering dependency asks for it. It marks the pre-Cairo period of Linux desktop graphics and still shows up in package graphs as `libart_lgpl` or `libart`.

Timeline

2000: GNOME Canvas Freenix paper documents the Libart Imaging Model.
2001: GNOME source archive lists libart_lgpl 2.3.5 tarballs.
2010: GNOME source archive publishes libart_lgpl 2.3.21.

Related projects

GNOME Canvas, Gill, SVG, Java 2D, PostScript, Cairo, and older GNOME graphics applications are the main historical neighbors.

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.

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
`libart2-config`	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 version2.3.21

manager updated2026-06-29

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://gitlab.gnome.org/Archive/libart_lgpl

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://gitlab.gnome.org/Archive/libart_lgplnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:libart
Version	2.3.21
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libart
Homepage	https://gitlab.gnome.org/Archive/libart_lgpl
Upstream docs	https://levien.com/libart
License	LGPL-2.0-or-later
Source archive	https://download.gnome.org/sources/libart_lgpl/2.3/libart_lgpl-2.3.21.tar.bz2
Last updated	2026-06-29T09:49:46Z
Pulse	updated
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	libart
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	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.

dnf95%

libart 0-12.20210723git3010468.fc44

Adaptive Radix Trees implemented in C

https://github.com/armon/libart

sudo dnf install libart

License: LicenseRef-Callaway-BSD
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: i686
Source Package: libart
2 dependencies
2 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Libart

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libart from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

dnf95%

libart-devel 0-12.20210723git3010468.fc44

Development files for libart

https://github.com/armon/libart

sudo dnf install libart-devel

License: LicenseRef-Callaway-BSD
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: i686
Source Package: libart
2 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Libart

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libart-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

package graph

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

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.

combined/libart.yml

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

Install libart with Homebrew, dnf