macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install mapsciilocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install mapscii with Homebrew, Nix
Whole World In Your Console. Version 0.3.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#mapsciinixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ma/mapscii/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Whole World In Your Console
Project links
Commands and aliases
- mapscii
history
Project history and usage
MapSCII is a JavaScript terminal map viewer that renders world map data as Braille and ASCII characters and can be run locally or over a telnet-style terminal session.
Project history
The MapSCII GitHub repository was created in September 2016. Its README presents the project as a Braille and ASCII world map renderer for the console, with mouse dragging and zooming, points of interest, Mapbox-style layer styling, public or private vector tile servers, OSM2VectorTiles-based data, and offline MBTiles support.
The official release stream shows the early feature path: ASCII mode in 2017, improved mouse support later in 2017, a CoffeeScript-to-JavaScript transition in 2019, and version 0.3.1 in February 2020.
Adoption history
MapSCII spread as a terminal novelty with real geospatial plumbing underneath. The official README documents npx mapscii, npm install -g mapscii, snap install mapscii, and direct use of the mapscii command, while Homebrew and Nix metadata in the input show additional package-manager adoption.
Its GitHub repository metadata shows unusually high interest for a small CLI map viewer, which fits its role as a memorable demo of vector tiles, terminal graphics, and OpenStreetMap-style data in one command.
How it is used
Users run mapscii, pan with arrow keys, zoom with a and z, switch character mode with c, quit with q, and use mouse events when the terminal supports them. It can connect to vector tile servers or work with local VectorTile/MBTiles data.
For package users, MapSCII is mostly a frictionless CLI: install it, run mapscii, and get an interactive world map in a terminal without a browser.
Why package nerds care
MapSCII is significant as a tiny package-index gem: it combines Node packaging, terminal rendering, vector tiles, and OpenStreetMap-derived data in a way that is instantly testable from a shell.
It is also a good example of why package managers carry playful tools: the utility may be narrow, but it exercises real terminal and geospatial dependencies.
Timeline
- 2016: Public GitHub repository created.
- 2017: ASCII mode and improved mouse support releases published.
- 2019: CoffeeScript-to-JavaScript release published.
- 2020: v0.3.1 release published.
Related projects
- Mapbox Styles, vector tiles, MBTiles, and OSM2VectorTiles are listed in the official README as part of the MapSCII feature set.
- OpenStreetMap-derived data is central to the project's map-viewing experience.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
- Installs with 1 runtime 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
mapscii | 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 version0.3.1
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/rastapasta/mapscii
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/rastapasta/mapsciinone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:mapscii |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.3.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/mapscii |
| Homepage | https://github.com/rastapasta/mapscii |
| Repository | https://github.com/rastapasta/mapscii |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/rastapasta/mapscii#readme |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://registry.npmjs.org/mapscii/-/mapscii-0.3.1.tgz |
| Dependencies | node |
| Bottle | available (on all) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | mapscii |
| 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%
mapscii
nix profile install nixpkgs#mapscii- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mapscii
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