brew

Install speex with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper

Audio codec designed for speech. Version 1.2.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install command Security notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install speex

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install speex

MacPorts ports tree · audio/speex/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add speex

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · speex · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install libspeex-dev

Debian stable package indexes · libspeex-dev · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install speex

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · speex · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#speex

nixpkgs package indexes · speex · source: raw.githubusercontent.com

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S speex

Arch Linux sync databases · speex · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install libspeex1

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · libspeex1 · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

Audio codec designed for speech

Project links

Commands and aliases

speexdec
speexenc

history

Project history and usage

Speex is Xiph.Org's free, patent-free speech codec and accompanying command-line encoder and decoder. Although the codec has been superseded by Opus, it remains important in package collections because old voice software, audio files, and speech-processing stacks still need a maintained codec library and conversion tools.

Project history

The official Speex site describes the project as an Open Source/Free Software audio compression format designed for speech, intended to lower the barrier for voice applications by offering a free alternative to proprietary speech codecs. The manual credits Jean-Marc Valin and Xiph.org Foundation and covers the 2002-2007 Speex codec documentation period.

Adoption history

Speex was distributed as source through the Xiph ecosystem and packaged broadly across Unix-like systems. The official downloads page says development versions are available through Git and identifies Speex 1.2.1 and SpeexDSP 1.2.1 as the current stable releases; the input package facts show it in Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, Arch, Alpine, MacPorts, Nix, Ubuntu, and openSUSE-style package sets.

How it is used

CLI users mostly encounter Speex through speexenc and speexdec for encoding and decoding speech audio, while developers link the codec library. The official site highlights speech-specific features such as narrowband, wideband, and ultra-wideband modes, VBR, VAD, DTX, packet-loss concealment, echo cancellation, and noise suppression.

Why package nerds care

Speex is a package-manager preservation case: no longer the recommended modern codec, but still part of the free audio stack and still needed for compatibility. Packagers care about the split between the deprecated codec and the still-useful SpeexDSP code, the Xiph GitLab migration, and keeping old voice applications buildable while steering new software toward Opus.

Timeline

2002-2007: Speex manual copyright period documented for Jean-Marc Valin and Xiph.org Foundation.
2009: XiphWiki says the source was split into Speex Codec and Speex DSP.
2013: XiphWiki says the codec part has been deprecated since 2013.
2016: Speex 1.2.0 tag created in the official GitLab repository.
2022: Speex 1.2.1 and SpeexDSP 1.2.1 identified by the official downloads page as current stable releases.

Related projects

Opus is the Xiph-recommended successor for new lossy audio and speech codec use.
SpeexDSP remains a related signal-processing library with resampling and other DSP code.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: blue

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

Risk classifier

blue risk · medium confidence · tool

Why

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

Signals

text:audio

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.
Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
Build metadata lists 1 build 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
`speexdec`	cli	global executable
`speexenc`	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 version1.2.1

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://speex.org/

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://speex.org/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:speex
Version	1.2.1
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/speex
Homepage	https://speex.org/
Repository	https://gitlab.xiph.org/xiph/speex
Upstream docs	https://www.speex.org/docs
License	BSD-3-Clause
Source archive	https://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/xiph/releases/speex/speex-1.2.1.tar.gz
Dependencies	libogg
Build dependencies	pkgconf
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, 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	speex
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

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%

libspeex-dev 1.2.1-3

Speex codec library (development files)