macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install unaclocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install unacMacPorts ports tree · textproc/unac/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install unac with Homebrew, apt, MacPorts
C library and command that removes accents from a string. Version 1.8.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install libunac1Debian stable package indexes · libunac1 · source: deb.debian.org
overview
Package summary
C library and command that removes accents from a string
Project links
Commands and aliases
- unaccent
history
Project history and usage
unac is a small C library and command-line utility for removing accents from text by converting through Unicode with iconv. Its package history is the classic Unix-library story: a narrow text-processing primitive, a manpage-driven CLI, and distribution through source tarballs and OS packages.
Project history
The official README describes unac as a C library plus the `unaccent` command. The code history on Savannah shows active early-2000s maintenance by Loic Dachary, with releases around Unicode data updates, iconv portability, bug fixes, and manual-page improvements.
The official NEWS file records version 1.8.0 upgrading to Unicode 4.0, version 1.7.0 fixing a Unicode 3.2 bug, and version 1.6.0 upgrading to Unicode 3.2.0. The ChangeLog records release activity from 2000 through 2004, which frames unac as mature legacy infrastructure rather than a fast-moving modern text stack.
Adoption history
The official project page announced Debian and RPM packages in the early 2000s, and the input package metadata lists Homebrew, MacPorts, Debian, and Ubuntu package names. That is the relevant adoption story: unac became a distro-packaged text-normalization dependency and command rather than a highly visible end-user tool.
How it is used
The README says the input charset must be specified, after which unac converts text to UTF-16 with iconv, removes accents, and converts the result back. The `unaccent` command can process an input flow or a string argument, making it useful in shell pipelines and indexing/import scripts.
Package users reach for unac when they need a tiny native accent-folding tool without pulling in a larger application framework. The tradeoff is that it reflects older Unicode and iconv-era design assumptions.
Why package nerds care
unac is significant in the package-nerd niche because it preserves a focused pre-ICU style Unix component: a C library, manpages, autotools build, and a single CLI that does one text-normalization job.
It is not a major ecosystem pillar, but it is the sort of small dependency that matters when old software, search systems, or packaging recipes still expect `unaccent` behavior.
Timeline
- 2000: ChangeLog records unac 1.2.0 release activity.
- 2001: Versions 1.3.0, 1.4.0, and 1.5.0 appear in the official ChangeLog and NEWS.
- 2002: Versions 1.6.0 and 1.7.0 update Unicode support and bug handling.
- 2004: Version 1.8.0 upgrades to Unicode 4.0.
Related projects
- Text-Unaccent and phpUnac were released alongside unac in early project announcements.
- iconv and GNU libiconv are central related components because unac relies on charset conversion before accent removal.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
library-like package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- library-like package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:library-like
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.
- Build metadata lists 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
unaccent | 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 version1.8.0
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/unac
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/unacnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:unac |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.8.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/unac |
| Homepage | https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/unac |
| Repository | https://git.savannah.nongnu.org/cgit/unac.git |
| Upstream docs | https://www.nongnu.org/unac |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://deb.debian.org/debian/pool/main/u/unac/unac_1.8.0.orig.tar.gz |
| Build dependencies | autoconf, automake, gettext, libtool |
| 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 | unac |
| 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.
Debian apt95%
libunac1 1.8.0-10+b3
unac programming library - runtime version
sudo apt install libunac1- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: unac
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unac
Debian apt95%
libunac1-dev 1.8.0-10+b3
C programmer's library that removes accents from a string
sudo apt install libunac1-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: unac
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unac
Debian apt95%
unaccent 1.8.0-10+b3
Replace accented letters by their unaccented equivalent
sudo apt install unaccent- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: unac
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unac
Ubuntu apt95%
libunac1 1.8.0-10
unac programming library - runtime version
sudo apt install libunac1- Section: universe/libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: unac
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unac
Ubuntu apt95%
libunac1-dev 1.8.0-10
C programmer's library that removes accents from a string
sudo apt install libunac1-dev- Section: universe/libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: unac
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unac
Ubuntu apt95%
unaccent 1.8.0-10
Replace accented letters by their unaccented equivalent
sudo apt install unaccent- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: unac
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unac
MacPorts95%
unac
sudo port install unac- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unac
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