macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install terminalimageviewerlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install tivMacPorts ports tree · graphics/tiv/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install terminalimageviewer with Homebrew, apt, MacPorts, Nix
Display images in a terminal using block graphic characters. Version 1.2.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install tivDebian stable package indexes · tiv · source: deb.debian.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#tivnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ti/tiv/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Display images in a terminal using block graphic characters
Project links
Commands and aliases
- tiv
history
Project history and usage
TerminalImageViewer, usually invoked as `tiv`, is a C++ terminal image viewer that renders images using RGB ANSI colors and Unicode block graphics. It belongs to the lineage of tools that treat a modern terminal as a low-resolution graphics surface.
Project history
The GitHub repository was created in April 2016. The README notes that examples were mostly produced with an older Java version, but development later shifted to the C++ implementation; by October 2020 the Java version was explicitly deprecated.
The project's distinguishing technique is its 4-by-8 pixel cell mapping. Instead of only using the Unicode half-block approach common to related tools such as timg, TerminalImageViewer chooses block characters and foreground/background colors that better approximate each cell.
Adoption history
The first GitHub release listed by the official releases page is v1.0.0 in December 2018. The README documents Homebrew installation for macOS and mentions third-party RPM and Docker packaging; this batch input also lists Debian, Ubuntu, MacPorts, Nix, and Homebrew package names.
Maintenance after the initial release focused on portability and packaging: README notes call out Homebrew support being fixed in 2020, Apple Clang support in 2021, and MSVC/native Windows support plus Apache-2.0-or-GPL-3.0 licensing in 2023.
How it is used
Users run `tiv` with one or more image filenames; shells can expand wildcards, and the tool shows thumbnails and file names when multiple images are supplied. The README warns users to install ImageMagick and to tune terminal color mode, font, and line spacing when output looks wrong.
The README also documents a library-style API around `tiv_lib.h` and `tiv_lib.cc`, allowing callers to map framebuffer pixels to terminal character/color data. That makes the project useful beyond one-off image previews.
Why package nerds care
For terminal-heavy users, tiv is a compact answer to the question 'can I inspect this image without leaving the shell?' It is especially relevant in SSH sessions, image-processing pipelines, build artifacts, and README demos where a graphical viewer is awkward or unavailable.
Package nerds also care because it exercises modern terminal capabilities: truecolor ANSI output, Unicode coverage, terminal line metrics, and optional fallbacks such as 256-color mode.
Timeline
- 2016: Public GitHub repository created on April 8.
- 2018: v1.0.0 initial release published.
- 2020: README notes Homebrew support was fixed and the Java version was deprecated.
- 2021: README notes Apple Clang support was added.
- 2023: v1.2 added MSVC/native Windows support and dual Apache-2.0/GPL-3.0-or-later licensing.
- 2024: README added a section on using the TIV API.
Related projects
- The README explicitly compares tiv with timg and other Unicode half-block image renderers. It is also adjacent to terminal media viewers, sixel/iTerm image protocols, and documentation screenshot tools.
Sources
- GitHub README: https://github.com/stefanhaustein/TerminalImageViewer#readme
- GitHub releases: https://github.com/stefanhaustein/TerminalImageViewer/releases
- GitHub repository metadata: https://api.github.com/repos/stefanhaustein/TerminalImageViewer
- Input source_facts.package-manager
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:image
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
tiv | 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
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv1.2.1
https://github.com/stefanhaustein/TerminalImageViewer
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:terminalimageviewer |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.2.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/terminalimageviewer |
| Homepage | https://github.com/stefanhaustein/TerminalImageViewer |
| Repository | https://github.com/stefanhaustein/TerminalImageViewer |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/stefanhaustein/TerminalImageViewer#readme |
| License | Apache-2.0 |
| Source archive | https://github.com/stefanhaustein/TerminalImageViewer/archive/refs/tags/v1.2.1.tar.gz |
| Dependencies | imagemagick |
| 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 | terminalimageviewer |
| Aliases |
|
| 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 |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
MacPorts94%
tiv
sudo port install tiv- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Tiv
Debian apt92%
tiv 1.2.1+dfsg-1+b2
high-resolution command-line image viewer
https://github.com/stefanhaustein/TerminalImageViewer
sudo apt install tiv- Section: graphics
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: tiv
- 3 dependencies
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Tiv
Nix92%
tiv
nix profile install nixpkgs#tiv- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Tiv
Ubuntu apt92%
tiv 1.2.1+dfsg-1
high-resolution command-line image viewer
https://github.com/stefanhaustein/TerminalImageViewer
sudo apt install tiv- Section: universe/graphics
- Architecture: amd64
- 3 dependencies
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Tiv
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