# 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

```sh
sudo av install brew:ncview
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install ncview
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install ncview
```

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

### Linux

- Debian apt (92%):

```sh
sudo apt install ncview
```

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

- dnf (92%):

```sh
sudo dnf install ncview
```

  Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: ncview 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#ncview
```

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

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:ncview
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Package manager page:** <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ncview>
- **Version:** 2.1.11
- **Source summary:** Visual browser for netCDF format files
- **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>
- **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00

## Executables

- ncview (cli)
- ncview (alias)

## Dependencies

- libice
- libpng
- libsm
- libx11
- libxaw
- libxt
- netcdf
- udunits

## Install behavior

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

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-07-08
- Package-manager version: 2.1.11
- Local data: ok
- Upstream repository: https://cirrus.ucsd.edu/ncview/
- info: No package-manager update timestamp was available.
- info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.
## 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

- <https://cirrus.ucsd.edu/ncview/>
- <https://cirrus.ucsd.edu/~pierce/docs/ncview.README>
- <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ncview>
- <https://packages.debian.org/sid/ncview>


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

## 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:** stable

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Debian apt - ncview - 2.1.11+ds-1+b1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: ncview from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | X11 visual browser for NetCDF format files | https://cirrus.ucsd.edu/ncview/
- Nix - ncview: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/nc/ncview/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- Ubuntu apt - ncview - 2.1.8+ds-5build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: ncview from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | X11 visual browser for NetCDF format files | http://meteora.ucsd.edu/~pierce/ncview_home_page.html
- dnf - ncview - 2.1.11-4.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: ncview from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | A visual browser for netCDF format files | https://cirrus.ucsd.edu/ncview/
- MacPorts - ncview: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: science/ncview/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1


## Related links

- [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata.
- [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata.
- [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata.
- [Media and graphics packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/media-graphics-tools/) - Matched media, image, audio, video, or graphics metadata.
- [libpng](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libpng/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew.
- [netcdf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/netcdf/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew.
- [udunits](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/udunits/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew.
- [metview](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/metview/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data-visualization, netcdf, science, visualization.
- [teem](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/teem/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data-visualization, science, visualization.
- [gabedit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gabedit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, science, visualization.
- [grace](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/grace/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, science, visualization, x11.
- [cdi](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cdi/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, netcdf, science.
- [gromacs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gromacs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, science.
- [igv](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/igv/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, science, visualization.
- [kahip](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/kahip/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, science.

## Combined YAML source

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