macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install ocradlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install ocradMacPorts ports tree · graphics/ocrad/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install ocrad with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper
Optical character recognition (OCR) program. Version 0.29 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install libocrad-devDebian stable package indexes · libocrad-dev · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install ocradFedora Rawhide package metadata · ocrad · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#ocradnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/oc/ocrad/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S ocradArch Linux sync databases · ocrad · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install ocradopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · ocrad · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Optical character recognition (OCR) program
Project links
Commands and aliases
- ocrad
history
Project history and usage
GNU Ocrad is a command-line OCR program and C++ library that recognizes text from PNG and PNM-family images using feature extraction rather than a trained-shape database. It produces byte or UTF-8 text and includes layout analysis for columns and text blocks.
Project history
The GNU Ocrad manual carries copyright years 2003-2024 for Antonio Diaz Diaz, and the Free Software Directory identifies it as a GNU package. GNU’s FTP archive shows public release tarballs for the 0.14 through 0.17 series in 2006 and 2007, while the manual documents version 0.29 dated 18 January 2024.
The manual characterizes Ocrad as mainly a research project with ad hoc algorithms that may change as the author gains OCR understanding. That framing explains both the project’s small scope and its historical importance: it is a free-software OCR engine built around explicit image-processing and character-recognition code, not a wrapper around a larger OCR system.
Adoption history
Ocrad entered package repositories as a small GNU utility and library for OCR workflows before Tesseract dominated most open-source OCR packaging. Homebrew, Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, and openSUSE-family metadata list packages for it or its development library, keeping it available for scripts and programs that need a lightweight OCR backend.
How it is used
Users invoke `ocrad` on PNG, PBM, PGM, or PPM images, optionally enabling layout analysis, scaling, thresholding, rotation, character-set selection, postprocessing filters, and UTF-8 output. The manual also documents conversion pipelines from PostScript, PDF, TIFF, JPEG, and compressed PNM through Ghostscript or Netpbm-style tools before recognition.
As a library, Ocrad exposes functions for loading images, setting output format and thresholds, running recognition, and retrieving block, line, and character results. Its OCR results file format gives downstream programs access to text blocks, line positions, character boxes, guesses, and confidence values.
Why package nerds care
For package metadata, Ocrad is a good example of a GNU-era single-purpose C++ utility that is both an executable and a library. It connects classic Unix image pipelines, OCR experimentation, GPL packaging, and downstream development packages such as Debian and Ubuntu’s `libocrad-dev`.
Timeline
- 2003: the manual’s copyright range begins, matching Ocrad’s early GNU-era development period.
- 2006-2007: GNU FTP archives list 0.14, 0.15, 0.16, and 0.17 release tarballs.
- 2022: the Free Software Directory listed 0.28 as a stable release dated 17 January 2022.
- 2024-01-18: the GNU manual documents version 0.29.
Related projects
- Ocrad belongs with GNU image/text-processing utilities, Netpbm and Ghostscript conversion pipelines, and OCR front ends or callers that can use a command-line OCR backend.
Sources
- https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Ocrad
- https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/ocrad/
- https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/ocrad/
- https://www.gnu.org/software/ocrad/manual/ocrad_manual.html
- source_facts.executables
- source_facts.package-manager
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 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
ocrad | 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 version0.29
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://www.gnu.org/software/ocrad/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.gnu.org/software/ocrad/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ocrad |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.29 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ocrad |
| Homepage | https://www.gnu.org/software/ocrad/ |
| Repository | https://savannah.gnu.org/cvs?group=ocrad |
| Upstream docs | https://www.gnu.org/software/ocrad |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/gnu/ocrad/ocrad-0.29.tar.lz |
| Dependencies | libpng |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, monterey, 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 | ocrad |
| 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.
Debian apt95%
libocrad-dev 0.29-1
optical character recognition library
https://www.gnu.org/software/ocrad/ocrad.html
sudo apt install libocrad-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: ocrad
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ocrad
Debian apt95%
ocrad 0.29-1
optical character recognition program
https://www.gnu.org/software/ocrad/ocrad.html
sudo apt install ocrad- Section: graphics
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ocrad
Nix95%
ocrad
nix profile install nixpkgs#ocrad- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ocrad
Ubuntu apt95%
libocrad-dev 0.28-4build2
optical character recognition library
https://www.gnu.org/software/ocrad/ocrad.html
sudo apt install libocrad-dev- Section: universe/libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: ocrad
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ocrad
Ubuntu apt95%
ocrad 0.28-4build2
optical character recognition program
https://www.gnu.org/software/ocrad/ocrad.html
sudo apt install ocrad- Section: universe/graphics
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ocrad
dnf95%
ocrad 0.29-6.fc44
An Optical Character Recognition program
http://www.gnu.org/software/ocrad/ocrad.html
sudo dnf install ocrad- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ocrad
- 6 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ocrad
pacman95%
ocrad 0.29-3
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) program based on a feature extraction method
https://www.gnu.org/software/ocrad/
sudo pacman -S ocrad- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ocrad
zypper95%
ocrad 0.29-1.7
Optical Character Recognition Program
https://www.gnu.org/software/ocrad/
sudo zypper install ocrad- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Productivity/Graphics/Other
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ocrad
- 6 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ocrad
zypper95%
ocrad-devel 0.29-1.7
Development files for GNU ocrad
https://www.gnu.org/software/ocrad/
sudo zypper install ocrad-devel- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ocrad
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ocrad
MacPorts95%
ocrad
sudo port install ocrad- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ocrad
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