macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libgphoto2local Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install libgphoto2MacPorts ports tree · devel/libgphoto2/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install libgphoto2 with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper
Gphoto2 digital camera library. Version 2.5.34 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-30.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add libgphoto2Alpine Linux edge package indexes · libgphoto2 · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install libgphoto2-6t64Debian stable package indexes · libgphoto2-6t64 · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install libgphoto2Fedora Rawhide package metadata · libgphoto2 · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#libgphoto2nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/li/libgphoto2/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S libgphoto2Arch Linux sync databases · libgphoto2 · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install libgphoto2-6openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · libgphoto2-6 · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Gphoto2 digital camera library
Project links
Commands and aliases
- gphoto2-config
- gphoto2-port-config
history
Project history and usage
libgphoto2 is the library core of the gPhoto project, giving Unix-like systems a common way to talk to digital cameras, media players, and camera protocols such as PTP and MTP. It is the backend that lets command-line tools, desktop applications, and tethering workflows use camera hardware without each application carrying its own camera-driver stack.
Project history
The gPhoto project framed its mission around free software access to digital cameras whose vendors often published only proprietary Windows or Mac tools. The libgphoto2 project page describes the library as the core that abstracts communication ports and camera protocols, with modular port drivers and camlibs.
The libgphoto2 README calls it the successor of the original gphoto program, with additional camera drivers and a backend-library design rather than a standalone GUI. That split let gphoto2, gtkam, desktop photo tools, and other frontends share the same camera-access layer.
Adoption history
gPhoto reports support for more than 2700 cameras and media players on its project home page, while the generated support table dated 2026-05-30 lists 3013 supported cameras and media players for libgphoto2 2.5.34. The project also notes that PTP, MTP, and PictBridge devices can work generically without needing a specific model entry.
The README lists frontends and consumers including gphoto2, digiKam, gThumb, Shotwell, Darktable, Entangle, GIMP integration, gphotofs, and gtkam. That mix made libgphoto2 a common Linux photography dependency for import, tethering, capture, and camera metadata workflows.
How it is used
Applications use libgphoto2 to detect cameras, download images, upload to picture frames, query configuration, trigger capture, and perform remote control where the camera and protocol allow it. The companion gphoto2 CLI exposes much of that power for scripts.
The library deliberately does not replace USB mass-storage handling; the project tells users to let the operating system mount mass-storage cameras. libgphoto2 is most valuable for protocol cameras and vendor-specific behavior that a normal filesystem mount cannot expose.
Why package nerds care
libgphoto2 is hardware-shaped packaging: the package is not just code, it carries camlibs, USB/PTP/MTP knowledge, udev-era history, translations, and a continually refreshed device table. A simple version bump can mean new camera IDs, changed remote-control behavior, or security fixes for parsing data from untrusted USB devices.
For package managers, it sits at the intersection of media apps, desktop environments, USB libraries, and scripting tools. It is also a reminder that old cameras and odd vendor protocols remain part of the compatibility surface long after the original hardware stopped being fashionable.
Timeline
- 2000: The generated support output credits gphoto2 copyright beginning in 2000.
- 2015-08-01: The gPhoto project announced migration to GitHub for code hosting and issue tracking.
- 2022-01-03: libgphoto2 and gphoto2 2.5.28 were announced with cleanup of obsolete OS/2 and hotplug packaging support.
- 2025-07-06: libgphoto2 and gphoto2 2.5.32 were announced with Meson build support, runtime-configurable library paths, and many camera IDs.
- 2026-05-30: libgphoto2 2.5.34 was announced and the support page listed 3013 supported cameras and media players.
Related projects
- gphoto2 is the command-line frontend that exposes libgphoto2 functions for users and scripts.
- gtkam, gphotofs, digiKam, gThumb, Shotwell, Darktable, Entangle, and GIMP integrations are examples of applications or frontends using the library.
- PTP, MTP, and PictBridge are camera/media protocols that shape libgphoto2's driver model.
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 7 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 1 build 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
gphoto2-config | cli | global executable | |
gphoto2-port-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 version2.5.34
manager updated2026-05-30
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
http://www.gphoto.org/proj/libgphoto2/
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.http://www.gphoto.org/proj/libgphoto2/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:libgphoto2 |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.5.34 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libgphoto2 |
| Homepage | http://www.gphoto.org/proj/libgphoto2/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/gphoto/libgphoto2 |
| Upstream docs | https://gphoto.sourceforge.io/doc |
| License | LGPL-2.1-or-later |
| Source archive | https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/gphoto/libgphoto/2.5.34/libgphoto2-2.5.34.tar.bz2 |
| Last updated | 2026-05-30T14:49:37Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | gd, gettext, jpeg-turbo, libexif, libtool, libusb, libusb-compat |
| Build dependencies | pkgconf |
| Uses from macOS | curl, libxml2 |
| 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 | libgphoto2 |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| 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%
libgphoto2-6t64 2.5.31-4
gphoto2 digital camera library
https://github.com/gphoto/libgphoto2/
sudo apt install libgphoto2-6t64- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libgphoto2
- 8 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
Debian apt95%
libgphoto2-dev 2.5.31-4
gphoto2 digital camera library (development files)
https://github.com/gphoto/libgphoto2/
sudo apt install libgphoto2-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libgphoto2
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
Debian apt95%
libgphoto2-dev-doc 2.5.31-4
gphoto2 digital camera library (development documentation)
https://github.com/gphoto/libgphoto2/
sudo apt install libgphoto2-dev-doc- Section: doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: libgphoto2
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
Debian apt95%
libgphoto2-l10n 2.5.31-4
gphoto2 digital camera library - localized messages
https://github.com/gphoto/libgphoto2/
sudo apt install libgphoto2-l10n- Section: localization
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: libgphoto2
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
Debian apt95%
libgphoto2-port12t64 2.5.31-4
gphoto2 digital camera port library
https://github.com/gphoto/libgphoto2/
sudo apt install libgphoto2-port12t64- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libgphoto2
- 3 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
Nix95%
libgphoto2
nix profile install nixpkgs#libgphoto2- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
Ubuntu apt95%
libgphoto2-6t64 2.5.31-2.1build2
gphoto2 digital camera library
https://github.com/gphoto/libgphoto2/
sudo apt install libgphoto2-6t64- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libgphoto2
- 8 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
Ubuntu apt95%
libgphoto2-dev 2.5.31-2.1build2
gphoto2 digital camera library (development files)
https://github.com/gphoto/libgphoto2/
sudo apt install libgphoto2-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libgphoto2
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
Ubuntu apt95%
libgphoto2-dev-doc 2.5.31-2.1build2
gphoto2 digital camera library (development documentation)
https://github.com/gphoto/libgphoto2/
sudo apt install libgphoto2-dev-doc- Section: doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: libgphoto2
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
Ubuntu apt95%
libgphoto2-l10n 2.5.31-2.1build2
gphoto2 digital camera library - localized messages
https://github.com/gphoto/libgphoto2/
sudo apt install libgphoto2-l10n- Section: localization
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: libgphoto2
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
Ubuntu apt95%
libgphoto2-port12t64 2.5.31-2.1build2
gphoto2 digital camera port library
https://github.com/gphoto/libgphoto2/
sudo apt install libgphoto2-port12t64- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libgphoto2
- 3 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
apk95%
libgphoto2 2.5.33-r1
The core library of gphoto2, designed to allow access to digital camera by external programs
sudo apk add libgphoto2- License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libgphoto2
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
apk95%
libgphoto2-dev 2.5.33-r1
The core library of gphoto2, designed to allow access to digital camera by external programs (development files)
sudo apk add libgphoto2-dev- License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libgphoto2
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
apk95%
libgphoto2-doc 2.5.33-r1
The core library of gphoto2, designed to allow access to digital camera by external programs (documentation)
sudo apk add libgphoto2-doc- License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libgphoto2
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
apk95%
libgphoto2-udev 2.5.33-r1
The core library of gphoto2, designed to allow access to digital camera by external programs (udev rules)
sudo apk add libgphoto2-udev- License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libgphoto2
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
dnf95%
libgphoto2 2.5.33-2.fc44
Library for accessing digital cameras
sudo dnf install libgphoto2- License: GPL-2.0-only AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND LGPL-2.0-only AND LGPL-2.0-or-later AND LGPL-2.1-or-later AND LGPL-3.0-or-later AND BSD-3-Clause AND IJG-short AND (MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: libgphoto2
- 13 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libgphoto2
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