# Install librsync with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper

Library that implements the rsync remote-delta algorithm. Version 2.3.4 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:librsync
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install librsync
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install librsync
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: net/librsync/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- apk (92%):

```sh
sudo apk add librsync
```

  Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: librsync from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

- Debian apt (92%):

```sh
sudo apt install librsync-dev
```

  Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: librsync-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

- dnf (92%):

```sh
sudo dnf install librsync
```

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

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#librsync
```

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

- pacman (92%):

```sh
sudo pacman -S librsync
```

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

- zypper (92%):

```sh
sudo zypper install librsync-devel
```

  Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: librsync-devel from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:librsync
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Package manager page:** <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/librsync>
- **Version:** 2.3.4
- **Source summary:** Library that implements the rsync remote-delta algorithm
- **Homepage:** <https://librsync.github.io/>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/librsync/librsync>
- **Upstream docs:** <https://librsync.github.io/>
- **License:** LGPL-2.1-or-later
- **Source archive:** <https://github.com/librsync/librsync/archive/refs/tags/v2.3.4.tar.gz>
- **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00

## Executables

- rdiff (cli)
- rdiff (alias)

## Dependencies

- popt

## Build dependencies

- cmake

## Install behavior

- Post-install hook: not defined
- Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-07-08
- Package-manager version: 2.3.4
- Local data: ok
- Upstream repository: https://github.com/librsync/librsync
- Upstream latest detected: v2.3.4 (current)
- info: No package-manager update timestamp was available.
## Project history and usage

librsync packages the rsync remote-delta idea as a reusable C library and the rdiff command-line tool. It is historically tied to efficient file transfer, backup, and binary-patch workflows rather than to the rsync network protocol itself.

### Project history

The project README credits Martin Pool and contributors from 1999 onward and says librsync was originally written for rproxy, an experiment in delta-compression for HTTP. The library exposes the core signature, delta, and patch operations so other programs can compute and apply network deltas without embedding the rsync protocol.

The modern GitHub release series shows 1.0.0 and 2.0.0 releases in 2015, with later 2.x releases continuing the library and rdiff tool as a small, reusable delta-compression component.

### Adoption history

The official README lists Dropbox, rdiff-backup, Duplicity, and others as users. That adoption pattern explains librsync's packaging footprint: backup and synchronization tools depend on the library behavior while presenting their own network, metadata, and policy layers.

### How it is used

Library users generate a signature of an old file, compute a delta against a new file, and apply that delta with the old file to reproduce the new file. The rdiff executable exposes the same operations for shell pipelines and package-maintainer tests.

### Why package nerds care

librsync is a good example of a package that is not the famous program named in the algorithm. It deliberately does not implement the rsync wire protocol, file metadata handling, SSH transport, or directory synchronization; it packages the transferable delta primitive that higher-level tools build around.

### Timeline

- 1999: Martin Pool and contributors began the code line credited in the project README.
- 2015: Version 1.0.0 was published in January and version 2.0.0 was published in November.
- 2017: Version 2.0.1 continued the post-2.0 release series.
- 2020: Version 2.3.0 was published in April.
- 2023: Version 2.3.4 was published in February.

### Related projects

- Related projects include rsync, rproxy, rdiff, rdiff-backup, Duplicity, and Dropbox.

### Sources

- <https://api.github.com/repos/librsync/librsync/releases?per_page=100>
- <https://github.com/librsync/librsync>
- <https://librsync.github.io/>
- <https://librsync.github.io/page_librsync.html>


## Security Notes

library-like package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- library-like package without higher-risk signals

## Source Database Details

- **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API
- **Tap:** homebrew/core
- **Full Name:** librsync
- **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

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Debian apt - librsync-dev - 2.3.4-1.1+b1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: librsync-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | rsync remote-delta algorithm library (development) | https://github.com/librsync/librsync
- Debian apt - librsync2t64 - 2.3.4-1.1+b1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: librsync2t64 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | rsync remote-delta algorithm library | https://github.com/librsync/librsync
- Debian apt - rdiff - 2.3.4-1.1+b1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: rdiff from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Binary diff tool for signature-based differences | https://github.com/librsync/librsync
- Nix - librsync: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/librsync/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- Ubuntu apt - librsync-dev - 2.3.4-1.1ubuntu2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: librsync-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | rsync remote-delta algorithm library (development) | https://github.com/librsync/librsync
- Ubuntu apt - librsync2t64 - 2.3.4-1.1ubuntu2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: librsync2t64 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | rsync remote-delta algorithm library | https://github.com/librsync/librsync
- Ubuntu apt - rdiff - 2.3.4-1.1ubuntu2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: rdiff from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Binary diff tool for signature-based differences | https://github.com/librsync/librsync
- apk - librsync - 2.3.4-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: librsync from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | librsync implements the rolling-checksum algorithm of rsync | https://github.com/librsync/librsync
- apk - librsync-dev - 2.3.4-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: librsync-dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | librsync implements the rolling-checksum algorithm of rsync (development files) | https://github.com/librsync/librsync
- apk - librsync-doc - 2.3.4-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: librsync-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | librsync implements the rolling-checksum algorithm of rsync (documentation) | https://github.com/librsync/librsync
- dnf - librsync - 2.3.4-8.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: librsync from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Rsync remote-delta algorithm library | https://librsync.github.io/
- dnf - librsync-devel - 2.3.4-8.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: librsync-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Headers and development libraries for librsync | https://librsync.github.io/
- dnf - librsync-doc - 2.3.4-8.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: librsync-doc from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Documentation files for librsync | https://librsync.github.io/
- pacman - librsync - 1:2.3.4-2: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: librsync from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Library for calculating and applying network deltas | https://github.com/librsync/librsync
- zypper - librsync-devel - 2.3.4-1.9: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: librsync-devel from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Development files for librsync | https://github.com/librsync/librsync
- zypper - librsync2 - 2.3.4-1.9: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: librsync2 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | A Library for Generating Network Deltas | https://github.com/librsync/librsync


## Related links

- [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family.
- [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata.
- [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata.
- [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider.
- [cmake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cmake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew.
- [burp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/burp/) - Popular package that depends on this formula.
- [cfengine](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cfengine/) - Popular package that depends on this formula.
- [duplicity](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/duplicity/) - Popular package that depends on this formula.
- [rdiff-backup](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rdiff-backup/) - Popular package that depends on this formula.
- [zsync](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/zsync/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, file-transfer, networking, rsync.
- [airshare](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/airshare/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, file-transfer, networking.
- [bbftp-client](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bbftp-client/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, file-transfer, networking.
- [croc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/croc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, file-transfer, networking.
- [davix](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/davix/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, file-transfer, networking.
- [duck](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/duck/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, file-transfer, networking.
- [ffsend](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ffsend/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, file-transfer, networking.
- [gdown](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gdown/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, file-transfer, networking.
- [tftp-now](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/tftp-now/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, file, file-transfer, networking, that.

## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/librsync.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/librsync.yml)


## Sources

- Nucleus package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- package-page enrichment
- curated package history
- package version freshness
- av.db category and tag curation
- package relationship graph
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph