# Install theharvester with Homebrew, Nix Gather materials from public sources (for pen testers). Version 4.11.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-16. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:theharvester ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install theharvester ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#theharvester ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/th/theharvester/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:theharvester - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 4.11.1 - **Source summary:** Gather materials from public sources (for pen testers) - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-2.0-only - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-16T13:15:41Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - restfulHarvest (cli) - theHarvester (cli) - theharvester (cli) - restfulHarvest (alias) - theHarvester (alias) - theharvester (alias) ## Dependencies - certifi - cffi - libyaml - pydantic - python@3.14 ## Build dependencies - cmake ## Uses from macOS - libffi - libxml2 - libxslt ## 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: 4.11.1 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-16 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/laramies/theHarvester - Upstream latest detected: 4.11.1 (current) ## Project history and usage theHarvester is an OSINT and reconnaissance tool for gathering emails, names, subdomains, IPs, and URLs from public data sources during the early stages of a penetration test. The official wiki describes it as simple but effective for mapping an organization's external threat landscape. ### Project history The project is maintained in the laramies/theHarvester repository and is described by its README as an emails, subdomains, and names harvester for OSINT. Over time it has become a Python security tool with a long module list: the README enumerates passive data sources such as search engines, certificate transparency services, threat-intelligence APIs, code search, and internet-exposure databases. ### Adoption history The official installation wiki explicitly says the easiest way to use theHarvester is through Kali Linux, where users can run `theHarvester -h`. The same page also documents pipx, Docker, and source-based installation, while the repository page shows a large GitHub audience and dozens of official releases. In package-manager culture, its presence in Homebrew and Nix gives macOS and reproducible-environment users a route to a tool historically associated with security distributions. ### How it is used Typical use is passive reconnaissance: users configure API keys when needed, select modules or data sources, and collect public-facing identifiers for a target domain. The README's passive module list shows why API-key management matters: many useful sources have quotas, pricing, or authenticated access, and the wiki documents where `api-keys.yaml` lives under packaged and cloned installs. ### Why package nerds care theHarvester matters to package nerds because it is a classic security CLI that crosses the boundary between specialist pentest distros and general-purpose package managers. A Homebrew formula turns a Kali-associated recon workflow into a one-command install on macOS, while the tool's module list creates a constant packaging concern around Python dependencies, browser automation, and optional API credentials. ### Timeline - 2020: Official GitHub wiki home page revision describes the tool's early-pentest OSINT role. - 2025-2026: Official GitHub tags page shows active 4.x releases. - 2026: Installation wiki documents Kali, pipx, Docker, and source workflows. - 2026: Repository page shows release 4.11.1 as the latest release on June 3, 2026. ### Related projects - Related tools include other OSINT and recon CLIs such as subdomain enumerators, certificate-transparency query tools, internet search APIs, Shodan-like asset search tools, and Kali Linux reconnaissance utilities. theHarvester's niche is aggregating many public sources behind one command-line interface. ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for theharvester. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL. ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Credential files - Linux: /etc/theHarvester/api-keys.yml, api-keys.yaml - macOS: /usr/local/etc/theharvester/api-keys.yaml, api-keys.yaml ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** theharvester - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 1 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - theharvester: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/th/theharvester/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Security and crypto packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/security-crypto-tools/) - Matched security, identity, cryptography, password, signing, or certificate metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [cffi](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cffi/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [python@3.14](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/python-3-14/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [cmake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cmake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [amass](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/amass/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, osint, reconnaissance, security. - [bbot](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bbot/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, osint, reconnaissance, security. - [favirecon](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/favirecon/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, osint, reconnaissance, security. - [recon-ng](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/recon-ng/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, osint, reconnaissance, security. - [subfinder](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/subfinder/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, osint, reconnaissance, security. - [uncover](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/uncover/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, osint, reconnaissance, security. - [csprecon](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/csprecon/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, reconnaissance, security. - [findomain](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/findomain/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, osint, reconnaissance, security. - [pocsuite3](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pocsuite3/) - Both packages touch the same language runtime or ecosystem. Shared terms: certifi, cli, libyaml, penetration, penetration-testing. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/theharvester.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/theharvester.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph