# Install osm-pbf with Homebrew Tools related to PBF (an alternative to XML format). Version 1.6.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-20. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:osm-pbf ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install osm-pbf ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:osm-pbf - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.6.1 - **Source summary:** Tools related to PBF (an alternative to XML format) - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** LGPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-20T05:07:44Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - osmpbf-outline (cli) - osmpbf-outline (alias) ## Dependencies - abseil - protobuf ## Build dependencies - cmake ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.6.1 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-20 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/openstreetmap/OSM-binary - Upstream latest detected: v1.6.1 (current) ## Project history and usage osm-pbf packages the OpenStreetMap binary PBF tooling around OSM-binary, the Java/C++ library and protocol definitions for reading and writing OpenStreetMap's Protocolbuffer Binary Format. PBF is the compact binary alternative to OSM XML used for planet files, extracts, and data pipelines. ### Project history The OSM-binary GitHub repository was created on August 9, 2010. The project README describes OSMPBF as a Java/C++ library for OpenStreetMap PBF files, with Google Protocol Buffers as the low-level storage format. The OpenStreetMap wiki documents PBF as an XML alternative designed for future extensibility and flexibility. It stores independently decodable file blocks, assumes 64-bit OSM entity IDs, and preserves entities and tags without hard-coding tag keys or values. ### Adoption history The format became a broad OSM ecosystem interchange format because it is significantly smaller and faster to read and write than compressed XML planet files. The OSM wiki notes wide software support and points to compliance information for tools that read or write PBF variants. ### How it is used Developers use the Java artifact from Maven Central or the C++ library and headers when they need low-level access to PBF encoding. The Homebrew package exposes `osmpbf-outline`, a diagnostic tool that prints debug output for the contents of a `.osm.pbf` file. ### Why package nerds care This is a format package more than an end-user application. Its importance comes from standardizing the wire/storage representation that lets planet-scale OSM data move between importers, renderers, routing engines, and analysis tools without paying XML's size and parsing costs. ### Timeline - 2010-08-09: the OpenStreetMap OSM-binary repository is created. - The PBF wiki page records the format's design goals: smaller files, faster compressed-planet IO, independently decodable blocks, and future-compatible protocol-buffer definitions. - The repository ships Java and C++ build paths and the `osmpbf-outline` inspection tool. ### Related projects - Osmosis is documented by the OSM wiki as a reference implementation path for PBF. libosmium is named by the OSM-binary README as a more complete OSM PBF reader/writer for applications that need more than the low-level library. ### Sources - - - - ## 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:** osm-pbf - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 6 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## 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. - [Database and data packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/database-data-tools/) - Matched database, SQL, migration, or data-store metadata. - [protobuf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/protobuf/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [cmake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cmake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [imposm3](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/imposm3/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, geospatial, openstreetmap. - [osmcoastline](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/osmcoastline/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, geospatial, openstreetmap. - [osmfilter](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/osmfilter/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, geospatial, openstreetmap. - [osmium-tool](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/osmium-tool/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, geospatial, openstreetmap. - [osmosis](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/osmosis/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, geospatial, openstreetmap. - [gdal](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gdal/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, geospatial. - [geoserver](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/geoserver/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, geospatial. - [gpsbabel](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gpsbabel/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, geospatial. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/osm-pbf.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/osm-pbf.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 - cross-ecosystem install command graph