macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install unshieldlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install unshieldMacPorts ports tree · archivers/unshield/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install unshield with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, zypper
Extract files from InstallShield cabinet files. Version 1.6.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-13.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add unshieldAlpine Linux edge package indexes · unshield · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install libunshield-devDebian stable package indexes · libunshield-dev · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install unshieldFedora Rawhide package metadata · unshield · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#unshieldnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/un/unshield/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S unshieldArch Linux sync databases · unshield · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install libunshield1openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · libunshield1 · source: download.opensuse.org
Windows
Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install main/unshieldScoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/unshield.json · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Extract files from InstallShield cabinet files
Project links
Commands and aliases
- unshield
history
Project history and usage
Unshield is a command-line tool and C library for extracting files from InstallShield cabinet files. Its README explains the original motivation: many Pocket PC applications were distributed as Windows InstallShield installers rather than standalone Microsoft Cabinet files, which was impractical for Linux and FreeBSD users.
Project history
The upstream README is unusually explicit about the design origin. InstallShield cabinet files were not officially documented, so the author used the Windows tools i5comp and i6comp as references, discovered through `strings` that they used zlib for decompression, and chose to write a new implementation rather than port those tools.
The stated goals were pragmatic and distribution-friendly: use the MIT license, work on little-endian and big-endian systems, separate the implementation into a tool and a library, support InstallShield version 5 and later, list cabinet contents, and extract files.
The project has since become a maintained small C package. Its changelog records man-page work in 2008 and a 0.6 release in 2009; tagged releases later reached 1.x, and the current CMake configuration sets version 1.6.2, uses C23, installs a man page and pkg-config file, and builds both library and CLI components.
Adoption history
The supplied package metadata shows Unshield packaged in Homebrew, Alpine/apk, Debian and Ubuntu as `libunshield-dev`, Fedora/dnf, MacPorts, Nix, Arch/pacman, Scoop, and openSUSE/zypper. That broad spread reflects both CLI use and library development use.
Unshield also appears as an optional backend in the `unp` ecosystem: the `unp` 2.0 changelog records experimental support for InstallShield-style Microsoft Cabinet files via unshield. That is a classic package-manager adoption path for a niche extractor: one focused tool becomes a backend behind a more general archive wrapper.
How it is used
The man page describes Unshield as a tool for listing, testing, and extracting InstallShield cabinet contents. Its commands include listing components, file groups, files, testing files, and extracting files; options cover component and group selection, output directory, forced InstallShield version, filename encoding conversion, lowercasing, raw extraction, and path handling.
In practice, users reach for it when they have a Windows installer archive but need the payload on a Unix-like system, in a build recipe, or in a recovery/migration workflow without running the installer.
Why package nerds care
Unshield matters in package culture because proprietary installer formats often block reproducible packaging. A small MIT-licensed extractor lets maintainers inspect or extract upstream payloads on Unix systems, script the process, and avoid depending on Windows-only tooling.
Its split library/tool design is also package-friendly: distributions can ship a CLI for users and development files for programs that need InstallShield cabinet support.
Timeline
- 2008: Upstream changelog starts and records addition of the man page.
- 2009: Upstream changelog records the 0.6 release.
- 2013: GitHub tag metadata records version 1.0.
- 2023: Man page identifies the Unshield project and documents the modern command set.
- 2024: `unp` 2.0 records experimental InstallShield cabinet support via unshield.
- 2026: Current CMake project version is 1.6.2.
Related projects
- Unshield is related to InstallShield, Microsoft Cabinet files, zlib, the historic i5comp and i6comp tools, and archive wrappers such as `unp` that can delegate InstallShield-style extraction to it.
Sources
- https://github.com/twogood/unshield/blob/master/CMakeLists.txt
- https://github.com/twogood/unshield/blob/master/ChangeLog
- https://github.com/twogood/unshield/blob/master/README.md
- https://github.com/twogood/unshield/blob/master/man/unshield.1
- https://salsa.debian.org/blade/unp/-/raw/master/debian/changelog
- source_facts.package-manager
security posture
No protected-tool coverage found yet
No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for unshield. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
unshield | 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 version1.6.2
manager updated2026-05-13
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detected1.6.2
https://github.com/twogood/unshield
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:unshield |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.6.2 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/unshield |
| Homepage | https://github.com/twogood/unshield |
| Repository | https://github.com/twogood/unshield |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/twogood/unshield#readme |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://github.com/twogood/unshield/archive/refs/tags/1.6.2.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-05-13T14:52:16Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | openssl@4 |
| Build dependencies | cmake |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, 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 | unshield |
| 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.
Debian apt95%
libunshield-dev 1.5.1-1+b2
development files for libunshield
https://github.com/twogood/unshield/
sudo apt install libunshield-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: unshield
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
Debian apt95%
libunshield0 1.5.1-1+b2
library to extract CAB files from InstallShield installers
https://github.com/twogood/unshield/
sudo apt install libunshield0- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: unshield
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
Debian apt95%
unshield 1.5.1-1+b2
extracts CAB files from InstallShield installers
https://github.com/twogood/unshield/
sudo apt install unshield- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: unshield
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
Nix95%
unshield
nix profile install nixpkgs#unshield- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
Ubuntu apt95%
libunshield-dev 1.5.1-1
development files for libunshield
https://github.com/twogood/unshield/
sudo apt install libunshield-dev- Section: universe/libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: unshield
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
Ubuntu apt95%
libunshield0 1.5.1-1
library to extract CAB files from InstallShield installers
https://github.com/twogood/unshield/
sudo apt install libunshield0- Section: universe/libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: unshield
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
Ubuntu apt95%
unshield 1.5.1-1
extracts CAB files from InstallShield installers
https://github.com/twogood/unshield/
sudo apt install unshield- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
apk95%
unshield 1.6.2-r1
Extracts CAB files from InstallShield installers
https://github.com/twogood/unshield
sudo apk add unshield- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: unshield
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
apk95%
unshield-dev 1.6.2-r1
Extracts CAB files from InstallShield installers (development files)
https://github.com/twogood/unshield
sudo apk add unshield-dev- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: unshield
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
apk95%
unshield-doc 1.6.2-r1
Extracts CAB files from InstallShield installers (documentation)
https://github.com/twogood/unshield
sudo apk add unshield-doc- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: unshield
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
dnf95%
unshield 1.6.2-5.fc45
Extract CAB files from InstallShield installers
https://github.com/twogood/unshield
sudo dnf install unshield- License: MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: unshield
- 4 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
dnf95%
unshield-devel 1.6.2-5.fc45
Files needed for software development with unshield
https://github.com/twogood/unshield
sudo dnf install unshield-devel- License: MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: unshield
- 4 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
pacman95%
unshield 1.6.2-1
Extracts CAB files from InstallShield installers
https://github.com/twogood/unshield
sudo pacman -S unshield- License: custom
- Architecture: x86_64
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
zypper95%
libunshield1 1.6.2-1.3
A Program to Extract InstallShield Cabinet Files
https://github.com/twogood/unshield
sudo zypper install libunshield1- License: MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: unshield
- 4 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
zypper95%
unshield 1.6.2-1.3
A Program to Extract InstallShield Cabinet Files
https://github.com/twogood/unshield
sudo zypper install unshield- License: MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: unshield
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
zypper95%
unshield-devel 1.6.2-1.3
Header files, libraries and development documentation for libunshield1
https://github.com/twogood/unshield
sudo zypper install unshield-devel- License: MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: unshield
- 2 dependencies
- 4 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unshield
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