Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install unar with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, scoop, zypper

Command-line unarchiving tools supporting multiple formats. Version 1.10.8 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install unar

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install unar

MacPorts ports tree · archivers/unar/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install unar

Debian stable package indexes · unar · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install unar

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

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#unar

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/un/unar/package.nix · source: api.github.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install unar

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

Windows

Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install main/unar

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/unar.json · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Command-line unarchiving tools supporting multiple formats

Commands and aliases

  • lsar
  • unar

history

Project history and usage

unar packages the command-line side of The Unarchiver/XADMaster: `unar` extracts archive contents and `lsar` lists them. Its history is tied to the Mac utility The Unarchiver, but the CLI became valuable on Unix-like systems because the same engine handles many ordinary, proprietary, old, and obscure archive formats.

Project history

The official command-line page explains that The Unarchiver is a macOS app while the underlying unarchiving code can run on other operating systems, exposed through the `unar` and `lsar` command-line tools for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

The XADMaster README describes the engine as an Objective-C library for archive and file unarchiving and extraction. It supports formats such as Zip, Tar, Gzip, Bzip2, 7-Zip, RAR, LhA, StuffIt, Amiga archives, CAB, and LZX; uses libxad for old and obscure formats; and notes that it was originally developed by Dag Agren.

MacPaw's 2017 acquisition announcement says it bought The Unarchiver, promised to maintain it, improve it, and keep it free. The command-line code remained available through the XADMaster repository, with GitHub releases continuing through v1.10.8 in 2023.

Adoption history

The official command-line page documents binary downloads for macOS and Windows and notes Ubuntu 12.04 packages under the package name `unar`. The input package metadata shows wider packaging across Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Scoop, Ubuntu, and openSUSE.

In package-manager culture, `unar` spread because archive extraction is a recurring automation problem and the standard base tools do not cover the long tail of RAR, StuffIt, old Mac, Amiga, disk-image, and installer formats.

How it is used

`unar` is used when a script or shell user needs extraction; `lsar` is used to inspect archive contents first. The official page gives package-manager installation examples and source build instructions for Linux with GNUstep and compression-library dependencies.

The package is especially useful in archival, reverse-engineering, data-recovery, and media-library workflows where the input archive format is unknown or old. It is less about compression creation and more about robust unpacking.

Why package nerds care

unar is a package-nerd favorite because it turns a broad, format-savvy desktop unarchiver into a scriptable CLI. It fills the gap between base `tar`/`unzip` utilities and format-specific tools such as `unrar`.

Its long-tail format support also makes it valuable for reproducible package tests and historical software archives: a package manager can install one tool that understands many weird archives.

Timeline

  • 2017: MacPaw announces acquisition of The Unarchiver and related technology.
  • 2018: MacPaw/XADMaster GitHub repository is created.
  • 2018: XADMaster GitHub releases include v1.10.4.
  • 2023: XADMaster v1.10.8 is released.

Related projects

  • The Unarchiver is the macOS GUI application using the same underlying unarchiving code.
  • XADMaster is the upstream library/repository; libxad and UniversalDetector are related components noted by the official README.

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

  • narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

  • metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 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

CommandKindExposureNote
lsarcliglobal executable
unarcliglobal 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 version1.10.8
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv1.10.8

https://github.com/MacPaw/XADMaster

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:unar
Version1.10.8
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/unar
Homepagehttps://theunarchiver.com/command-line
Repositoryhttps://github.com/MacPaw/XADMaster
Upstream docshttps://theunarchiver.com/command-line
LicenseLGPL-2.1-or-later
Source archivehttps://github.com/MacPaw/XADMaster/archive/refs/tags/v1.10.8.tar.gz
Uses from macOSbzip2
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Nameunar
Version Scheme0
Revision7
Head VersionHEAD
Requirements
  • xcode
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
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%

unar 1.10.8+ds1-9

Unarchiver for a variety of file formats

https://theunarchiver.com/command-line

sudo apt install unar
  • Section: utils
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 10 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Unar
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: unar from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

unar

nix profile install nixpkgs#unar
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Unar
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/un/unar/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Ubuntu apt95%

unar 1.10.7+ds1+really1.10.1-3build1

Unarchiver for a variety of file formats

https://theunarchiver.com/command-line

sudo apt install unar
  • Section: universe/utils
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 10 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Unar
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: unar from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
dnf95%

unar 1.10.8-16.fc45

Multi-format extractor

https://theunarchiver.com/command-line

sudo dnf install unar
  • License: LicenseRef-Callaway-LGPLv2+
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: unar
  • 11 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Unar
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: unar from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

unar 1.10.8-3.6

Multi-format unarchiver

https://unarchiver.c3.cx/commandline

sudo zypper install unar
  • License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: unar
  • 10 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Unar
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: unar from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
MacPorts95%

unar

sudo port install unar
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Unar
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: archivers/unar/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Scoop95%

main/unar

scoop install main/unar
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Unar
Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/unar.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • bazarrPopular package that depends on this formula.

Same workflow

  • p7zipShares av.db curated category or tags: archive, cli, compression, file-utilities, system.
  • unpShares av.db curated category or tags: archive-utilities, cli, compression, system.
  • borgbackupShares av.db curated category or tags: archive, cli, compression, system.
  • clzipShares av.db curated category or tags: archive, cli, compression, system.
  • dtrxShares av.db curated category or tags: archive, cli, compression, system.
  • gnu-tarShares av.db curated category or tags: archive, cli, compression, system.

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.

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