install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install libilbc

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#libilbc

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

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S libilbc

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

overview

Package summary

Packaged version of iLBC codec from the WebRTC project

Project links

Commands and aliases

ilbc_test

history

Project history and usage

libilbc is a packaging-focused standalone copy of the Internet Low Bit Rate Codec implementation from the WebRTC project. Its package value is that it turns a codec otherwise embedded in a much larger communications stack into a small system library and test utility.

Project history

The underlying iLBC codec was specified for the IETF in RFC 3951, published in December 2004, with RFC 3952 defining the RTP payload format for carrying iLBC speech. The libilbc repository packages WebRTC's implementation as a distributable library rather than requiring consumers to vendor a WebRTC source subtree.

Timothy Gu took over maintainership for the standalone package in the 2.0.0 release dated November 17, 2014, updated the bundled WebRTC source, cleaned the Autotools files, and added CMake support. Version 3.0.0 on December 18, 2020 updated again to WebRTC source r32829, removed Autotools, made CMake the build system, and introduced the installed ilbc_test utility.

Adoption history

Adoption is mainly through distribution packaging and projects that need the iLBC codec without a full WebRTC dependency. The README explicitly targets packagers, and Homebrew, Nix, and Arch package metadata all carry the package under the libilbc name.

How it is used

Typical use is linking against the C library for iLBC encode and decode support or running ilbc_test against raw 8 kHz mono PCM samples. The codec remains relevant where narrowband speech compatibility and packet-loss behavior matter more than modern wideband audio quality.

Why package nerds care

For package maintainers, libilbc is a classic extraction package: it keeps a small, ABI-versioned codec library available without forcing each downstream to track WebRTC internals. The 2020 CMake-only release also made the package easier to integrate into cross-platform build systems.

Timeline

2004-12: RFC 3951 specified iLBC as an experimental Internet codec, and RFC 3952 specified its RTP payload format.
2014-11-17: libilbc 2.0.0 moved under Timothy Gu's maintainership and refreshed the WebRTC source snapshot.
2014-12-14: libilbc 2.0.2 fixed release-tarball and shared-library packaging details.
2020-12-18: libilbc 3.0.0 updated to WebRTC source r32829 and made CMake the only build system.
2020-12-31: libilbc 3.0.4 fixed a Chromium issue and upstreamed local patches to WebRTC.

Related projects

Related projects include WebRTC, which supplies the codec implementation packaged here; the IETF iLBC RFCs that define the codec and RTP payload; and downstream multimedia or telephony packages that prefer a small standalone codec library.

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 13 platform targets.
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
`ilbc_test`	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 version3.0.4

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/TimothyGu/libilbc

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/TimothyGu/libilbcnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:libilbc
Version	3.0.4
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libilbc
Homepage	https://github.com/TimothyGu/libilbc
Repository	https://github.com/TimothyGu/libilbc
Upstream docs	https://github.com/TimothyGu/libilbc#readme
License	BSD-3-Clause
Source archive	https://github.com/TimothyGu/libilbc/releases/download/v3.0.4/libilbc-3.0.4.tar.gz
Build dependencies	cmake
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, 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	libilbc
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.

Nix95%

libilbc

nix profile install nixpkgs#libilbc

normalized package name match
Matched by: Libilbc

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libilbc/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

pacman95%

libilbc 3.0.4-4

A friendly copy of the iLBC codec from the WebRTC project

https://github.com/TimothyGu/libilbc/

sudo pacman -S libilbc

License: BSD-3-Clause
Architecture: x86_64
3 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Libilbc

Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: libilbc from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

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/libilbc.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 libilbc with Homebrew, Nix, pacman