macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libxlslocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install libxlsMacPorts ports tree · textproc/libxls/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install libxls with Homebrew, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, zypper
Read binary Excel files from C/C++. Version 1.6.3 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install libxlsFedora Rawhide package metadata · libxls · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#libxlsnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/li/libxls/package.nix · source: api.github.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install libxls-developenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · libxls-devel · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Read binary Excel files from C/C++
Project links
Commands and aliases
- libxls2csv
history
Project history and usage
libxls is a C/C++ library and small command-line toolkit for reading the legacy binary Excel XLS format. Its package-manager identity is tied to a practical problem: extracting data from old spreadsheets without automating Microsoft Excel.
Project history
The public source history records copyright lines for Komarov Valery in 2004, Christophe Leitienne in 2006, David Hoerl from 2008 through 2017, and Evan Miller from 2013 through 2018. The GitHub project describes the library as a parser for Excel files in the old binary OLE format and as the home of a CSV conversion tool.
By the 1.5.x series the project had been moved under new maintenance. The project README calls out the GitHub hosting move, an in-memory parsing API, error-returning internals, fuzz testing, and fixes for security vulnerabilities in the 1.4-and-earlier line.
Adoption history
libxls spread through Unix package managers because the XLS format remained common in public data, research archives, and office exports long after XLSX became the default Office format. The R tidyverse readxl package documents libxls as its embedded reader for .xls files, which made the library visible to data analysts who never installed it directly.
How it is used
Typical use is either linking the C library to inspect worksheets and cells, or running the bundled converter on an XLS file before feeding the result to text-based data tools. The library is most relevant when the input is the old binary XLS/OLE format rather than OOXML XLSX.
Why package nerds care
For package maintainers, libxls is a small example of a compatibility library whose value comes from preserving access to awkward legacy binary formats. Its 1.5-era fuzzing and error-handling work also turned an old parser into something more acceptable for distro builds that may process untrusted documents.
Timeline
- 2004: Source copyright records Komarov Valery's early libxls work.
- 2008: The v0.2.0 tag is associated with a GitHub commit dated 2008-03-30.
- 2018: The maintained GitHub line includes Evan Miller copyright years through 2018.
- 2019: The 1.5.x series marks the project's new-maintenance era with fuzzing and security fixes.
Related projects
- readxl embeds libxls for .xls support and RapidXML for .xlsx support. The library also sits near tools that understand Microsoft Compound Document/OLE files and older Excel BIFF records.
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 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
libxls2csv | 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 version1.6.3
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/libxls/libxls
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/libxls/libxlsnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:libxls |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.6.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libxls |
| Homepage | https://github.com/libxls/libxls |
| Repository | https://github.com/libxls/libxls |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/libxls/libxls |
| License | BSD-2-Clause |
| Source archive | https://github.com/libxls/libxls/releases/download/v1.6.3/libxls-1.6.3.tar.gz |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, 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 | libxls |
| 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%
libxls
nix profile install nixpkgs#libxls- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libxls
dnf95%
libxls 1.6.3-7.fc44
Read binary Excel files from C/C++
https://github.com/libxls/libxls
sudo dnf install libxls- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libxls
- 2 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libxls
dnf95%
libxls-devel 1.6.3-7.fc44
Development files for libxls
https://github.com/libxls/libxls
sudo dnf install libxls-devel- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libxls
- 3 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libxls
zypper95%
libxls-devel 1.6.3-1.4
Header files for libxls
https://github.com/libxls/libxls
sudo zypper install libxls-devel- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libxls
- 2 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libxls
zypper95%
libxls-tools 1.6.3-1.4
Utility for parsing Excel (XLS) files
https://github.com/libxls/libxls
sudo zypper install libxls-tools- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Category: Productivity/Office/Other
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libxls
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libxls
zypper95%
libxlsreader8 1.6.3-1.4
Library for Parsing Excel (XLS) Files
https://github.com/libxls/libxls
sudo zypper install libxlsreader8- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Category: System/Libraries
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libxls
- 2 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libxls
MacPorts95%
libxls
sudo port install libxls- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libxls
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