macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install ncviewlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install ncviewMacPorts ports tree · science/ncview/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install ncview with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix
Visual browser for netCDF format files. Version 2.1.11 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install ncviewDebian stable package indexes · ncview · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install ncviewFedora Rawhide package metadata · ncview · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#ncviewnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/nc/ncview/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Visual browser for netCDF format files
Project links
Commands and aliases
- ncview
history
Project history and usage
ncview is David W. Pierce's X11 visual browser for netCDF files, aimed at quick inspection rather than full analysis. The official page describes it as a way to get a push-button look at netCDF data, animate time slices, browse dimensions, inspect values, and change colormaps.
Project history
The distributed README for ncview 1.75 is dated March 20, 1999 and states copyright from 1993 through 1999, so the project belongs to the early scientific Unix/X11 era around netCDF. The README explicitly frames ncview as a lightweight viewer for movies and simple plots, not as a replacement for commercial analysis packages.
The project remained tied to the netCDF ecosystem: its build instructions require the netCDF library and optionally UDUNITS, and the official page says version 2.1.11 was updated on November 26, 2024.
Adoption history
ncview has persisted because climate, ocean, atmospheric, and HPC users still need a fast graphical sanity check for array-oriented scientific files. Debian packages it under science, and Homebrew lists binary bottle support for macOS and Linux.
On July 1, 2026, Homebrew Formulae listed ncview 2.1.11 with 670 installs in its 365-day analytics window, which is modest but real usage for an X11 scientific utility.
How it is used
Package nerd usage is simple: install netCDF/X11 dependencies, run `ncview file.nc`, then scrub through dimensions or time steps to see whether a model or instrument output looks sane before doing heavier analysis in Python, NCO, CDO, Panoply, MATLAB, or domain-specific tooling.
The official page's notes on missing values, units, long_name, title, add_offset, scale_factor, dimensional variables, and UDUNITS support explain why ncview works best on netCDF files that follow common metadata conventions.
Why package nerds care
ncview is a classic small scientific Unix tool: old UI stack, narrow purpose, durable because the file format and workflow survived. It is especially useful in package indexes because its dependencies signal the netCDF plus X11 visualization niche.
Timeline
- {'date': '1993', 'event': 'Earliest copyright year listed in the ncview 1.75 README.'}
- {'date': '1999-03-20', 'event': 'ncview 1.75 README date.'}
- {'date': '2024-11-26', 'event': 'Official page says ncview 2.1.11 was updated.'}
- {'date': '2026-07-01', 'event': 'Homebrew Formulae listed stable 2.1.11 and 670 installs in the 365-day analytics window.'}
Related projects
- netCDF
- UDUNITS
- X11 Athena Widget Set
- Panoply
- NCO
- CDO
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 8 platform targets.
- Installs with 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
ncview | 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 version2.1.11
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://cirrus.ucsd.edu/ncview/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://cirrus.ucsd.edu/ncview/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ncview |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.1.11 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ncview |
| Homepage | https://cirrus.ucsd.edu/ncview/ |
| Upstream docs | https://cirrus.ucsd.edu/ncview |
| License | GPL-3.0-only |
| Source archive | https://cirrus.ucsd.edu/~pierce/ncview/ncview-2.1.11.tar.gz |
| Dependencies | libice, libpng, libsm, libx11, libxaw, libxt, netcdf, udunits |
| 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 | ncview |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 1 |
| 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.
Debian apt95%
ncview 2.1.11+ds-1+b1
X11 visual browser for NetCDF format files
https://cirrus.ucsd.edu/ncview/
sudo apt install ncview- Section: science
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: ncview
- 7 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ncview
Nix95%
ncview
nix profile install nixpkgs#ncview- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ncview
Ubuntu apt95%
ncview 2.1.8+ds-5build3
X11 visual browser for NetCDF format files
http://meteora.ucsd.edu/~pierce/ncview_home_page.html
sudo apt install ncview- Section: universe/science
- Architecture: amd64
- 7 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ncview
dnf95%
ncview 2.1.11-4.fc45
A visual browser for netCDF format files
https://cirrus.ucsd.edu/ncview/
sudo dnf install ncview- License: GPL-3.0-only
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ncview
- 12 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ncview
MacPorts95%
ncview
sudo port install ncview- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ncview
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