macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install ssedlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install ssedMacPorts ports tree · textproc/ssed/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install ssed with Homebrew, MacPorts, apt
Super sed stream editor. Version 3.62 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Ubuntu aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install ssedUbuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · ssed · source: archive.ubuntu.com
overview
Package summary
Super sed stream editor
Project links
Commands and aliases
- ssed
history
Project history and usage
ssed, or Super sed, is an enhanced version of GNU sed oriented around command-line stream editing with extra features such as Perl-style regular expressions and in-place editing.
Project history
The Free Software Directory describes Super-sed as an enhanced sed text editor maintained by Paolo Bonzini, with Philip Hazel listed as a contributor. Debian describes the package as an enhanced version of GNU sed 3.02 with new features, extended regular expression syntax, new commands, and bug fixes.
GNU's 2002 sed 3.95 release announcement says GNU sed 3.95 merged most of the changes from the free-software super-sed project, making ssed historically relevant to the transition toward GNU sed 4.
Adoption history
ssed's standalone package survives mainly through distribution and package-manager channels such as Debian, Ubuntu, MacPorts, and Homebrew rather than a live upstream repository.
Homebrew's current formula uses Debian's source tarball because the original website is down, and its analytics show small but continuing install-on-request usage.
How it is used
Like sed, ssed reads files or standard input, applies editing commands, and writes transformed text to standard output. Debian emphasizes this stream-editor model in the package description.
The FSF entry highlights features package users cared about at the time: Perl regular expressions, faster behavior than older GNU sed, in-place editing, and piping command output through the Bourne shell.
Why package nerds care
ssed is package-nerd significant because it is both a packaged fork/enhancement and a feeder project: features from Super sed were explicitly merged into GNU sed 3.95 on the path to GNU sed 4.
It is also a preservation case. The original upstream site is gone, but Debian and Homebrew continue carrying source-package metadata and build recipes for a small historical Unix text-processing tool.
Timeline
- 2001: Free Software Directory records GPLv2 license verification for Super-sed.
- 2002: GNU sed 3.95 release announcement says most super-sed changes were merged.
- 2026: Debian sid carries ssed 3.62-8.1.
- 2026: Homebrew formula packages ssed 3.62 from Debian's source tarball.
Related projects
- GNU sed is the base project and the later recipient of many super-sed changes.
- Perl regular expressions and the Bourne shell are called out in official descriptions of ssed's added behavior.
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:stream
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 8 platform targets.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
ssed | 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 version3.62
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://packages.debian.org/sid/ssed
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://packages.debian.org/sid/ssednone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ssed |
|---|---|
| Version | 3.62 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ssed |
| Homepage | https://packages.debian.org/sid/ssed |
| Upstream docs | https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Super-sed |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://deb.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/ssed/ssed_3.62.orig.tar.gz |
| 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 | ssed |
| 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.
Ubuntu apt95%
ssed 3.62-8
super sed stream editor
http://sed.sf.net/grabbag/ssed/
sudo apt install ssed- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ssed
MacPorts95%
ssed
sudo port install ssed- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ssed
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