macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libversionlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install libversion with Homebrew, Nix, zypper
Advanced version string comparison library. Version 3.0.4 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#libversionnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/li/libversion/package.nix · source: api.github.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install libversionopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · libversion · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Advanced version string comparison library
Project links
Commands and aliases
- version_compare
- version_sort
history
Project history and usage
libversion is Repology's C library for comparing messy software version strings, including prerelease markers, suffixes, separators, and package-repository conventions that simple lexical comparison gets wrong.
Project history
The library was written by Dmitry Marakasov for the Repology ecosystem. Its README frames the core problem as comparing versions from different package repositories, where strings such as alpha, beta, rc, patch, post, and unusual separators need stable ordering rules.
Adoption history
libversion is used by Repology itself, and Repology's updater lists the Python libversion module, the C library, and a PostgreSQL libversion extension among its dependencies. That makes the library part of the machinery behind cross-distribution version tracking rather than a general end-user command.
How it is used
The library exposes C comparison functions, installs pkg-config and CMake integration files, and includes command-line utilities such as version_compare and version_sort for package-maintainer scripts or quick checks.
Why package nerds care
Version ordering is one of the oldest package-manager traps. libversion is interesting because it treats packaging reality as the problem domain: upstreams encode prereleases, patches, and suffixes inconsistently, and repository comparison services need deterministic answers.
Timeline
- 1.0.0: First tagged major release line in the public repository.
- 2.0.0: Later tagged major release line in the public repository.
- 3.0.0: Later tagged major release line in the public repository.
Related projects
- Repology uses libversion for software-version comparison across repositories.
- py-libversion, libversion-rs, golibversion, ruby-libversion, and other bindings or compatible implementations extend the same comparison 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.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
version_compare | cli | global executable | |
version_sort | 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
upstreamcurrent
latest detected3.0.4
https://github.com/repology/libversion
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:libversion |
|---|---|
| Version | 3.0.4 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libversion |
| Homepage | https://github.com/repology/libversion |
| Repository | https://github.com/repology/libversion |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/repology/libversion |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://github.com/repology/libversion/archive/refs/tags/3.0.4.tar.gz |
| Build dependencies | cmake |
| 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 | libversion |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| 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.
Nix95%
libversion
nix profile install nixpkgs#libversion- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libversion
zypper95%
libversion 3.0.4-1.3
Version string comparison library
https://github.com/repology/libversion
sudo zypper install libversion- License: MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libversion
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libversion
zypper95%
libversion-devel 3.0.4-1.3
Development files for libversion
https://github.com/repology/libversion
sudo zypper install libversion-devel- License: MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libversion
- 2 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libversion
zypper95%
libversion1 3.0.4-1.3
Version string comparison library
https://github.com/repology/libversion
sudo zypper install libversion1- License: MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libversion
- 2 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libversion
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