# Install vbindiff with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget Visual Binary Diff. Version 3.0_beta5 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:vbindiff ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install vbindiff ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install vbindiff ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/vbindiff/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add vbindiff ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: vbindiff from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install vbindiff ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: vbindiff from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install vbindiff ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: vbindiff from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#vbindiff ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/vb/vbindiff/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S vbindiff ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: vbindiff from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz ### Windows - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install main/vbindiff ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/vbindiff.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget (92%): ```sh winget install --id Madsen.VBinDiff -e ``` Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: Madsen.VBinDiff from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:vbindiff - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 3.0_beta5 - **Source summary:** Visual Binary Diff - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-2.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - vbindiff (cli) - vbindiff (alias) ## Uses from macOS - ncurses ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 3.0_beta5 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.cjmweb.net/vbindiff/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage VBinDiff, short for Visual Binary Diff, is a terminal-oriented binary file viewer and comparison tool. It displays hexadecimal bytes alongside ASCII or EBCDIC text, can show two files at once, and highlights byte-level differences. ### Project history Christopher J. Madsen created VBinDiff after using the Compare Files function from Glen Bredon's ProSel utilities on the Apple II and failing to find a comparable utility for the PC. The single-file mode was inspired by the LIST utility from 4DOS and related shells, filling a gap left by line-oriented pagers such as `less` and inefficient `hexdump` pipelines for very large files. The official release history traces a long, small-tool lineage: VBinDiff 1.x was first publicly released for OS/2 in January 1996; an unreleased 2.x line was ported from OS/2 to Win32 in October 1997; another unreleased 2.x added file editing in October 2004; and the 3.0 beta line began in November 2005 with POSIX support, single-file mode, EBCDIC support, and resizable console support. The 3.0 beta series continued in 2008 with line-editor improvements and bug fixes, then in 2017 development moved to GitHub with 3.0 beta 5. The official source page still distributes source and Windows builds for that beta and points users to GitHub for ongoing development. ### Adoption history VBinDiff became a classic package-repository utility because it solves a precise problem that ordinary text diff tools do not: visually inspecting and aligning differences in binary files without loading an entire multi-gigabyte file into an editor. Its presence in Homebrew, Debian, Arch, MacPorts, Nix, Scoop, Winget, and other package ecosystems reflects that enduring command-line niche. The tool's adoption is not driven by a large plugin ecosystem or frequent releases. It survives because reverse engineers, firmware tinkerers, file-format debuggers, systems programmers, and package maintainers occasionally need a compact visual hex diff that runs in a terminal. ### How it is used The basic invocation is `vbindiff file1 [file2]`. With one file it acts as a hex/ASCII viewer; with two files it scrolls both together and highlights differences. Users can jump to the next difference, search for strings or byte sequences, move to a file position, toggle ASCII/EBCDIC display, and edit bytes in place. Its documentation is explicit about scope: VBinDiff works well with files up to 4 GB and can display the first 4 GB of larger files, but the classic interface is limited by 8-digit file positions. That constraint is part of its package-nerd charm: the tool is tiny, old-school, and direct rather than a modern binary-analysis platform. ### Why package nerds care VBinDiff is the kind of utility that distribution maintainers keep around because it does one job better than a shell pipeline: interactive binary comparison in a portable console UI. It is a useful companion to `cmp`, `diff`, `hexdump`, `xxd`, and full hex editors, occupying the middle ground between batch comparison and heavyweight GUI inspection. The package also carries a recognizable historical arc across OS/2, Win32, and POSIX/curses environments, making it a small artifact of cross-platform command-line tool culture from the 1990s through the GitHub era. ### Timeline - 1996-01: First public OS/2 release of VBinDiff 1.x. - 1997-10: Unreleased 2.x line ported from OS/2 to Win32, dropping OS/2 support. - 2004-10: Unreleased 2.x line adds file editing. - 2005-11-11: VBinDiff 3.0 beta 1 adds POSIX support, single-file mode, EBCDIC support, and resizable consoles. - 2008-06/07: 3.0 beta 2 through beta 4 improve the line editor and fix Windows editing issues. - 2017-09-10: 3.0 beta 5 moves development to Git and GitHub. ### Related projects - ProSel for Apple II inspired the two-file comparison model. - 4DOS LIST inspired the single-file hex display mode. - `diff`, `cmp`, `hexdump`, `xxd`, and terminal hex editors are neighboring tools in the same workflow. ### Sources - Official GitHub repository: https://github.com/madsen/vbindiff - Official VBinDiff page and release history: https://www.cjmweb.net/vbindiff/ - Official Windows documentation: https://www.cjmweb.net/vbindiff/VBinDiff-Win32 ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** vbindiff - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - vbindiff - 3.0-beta5-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: vbindiff from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | visual binary diff, visually compare binary files | http://www.cjmweb.net/vbindiff/ - Nix - vbindiff: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/vb/vbindiff/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - vbindiff - 3.0-beta5-2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: vbindiff from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | visual binary diff, visually compare binary files | http://www.cjmweb.net/vbindiff/ - apk - vbindiff - 3.0_beta5-r3: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: vbindiff from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | ncurses hex editor with diff mode for binary file comparison, supports files up to 4GB | https://www.cjmweb.net/vbindiff/ - apk - vbindiff-doc - 3.0_beta5-r3: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: vbindiff-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | ncurses hex editor with diff mode for binary file comparison, supports files up to 4GB (documentation) | https://www.cjmweb.net/vbindiff/ - dnf - vbindiff - 3.0-0.36.beta4.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: vbindiff from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Visual binary diff | http://www.cjmweb.net/vbindiff/ - pacman - vbindiff - 3.0_beta5-3: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: vbindiff from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | displays files in hexadecimal and ASCII (or EBCDIC) and highlight the differences between them | https://www.cjmweb.net/vbindiff/ - MacPorts - vbindiff: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/vbindiff/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Scoop - main/vbindiff: normalized package name match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/vbindiff.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget - Madsen.VBinDiff: normalized package name match | Windows Package Manager source index: Madsen.VBinDiff from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [bsdiff](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bsdiff/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: binary-diff, cli, developer-tools, diff. - [colordiff](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/colordiff/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diff, terminal. - [diff-so-fancy](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/diff-so-fancy/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diff, terminal. - [diffr](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/diffr/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diff, terminal. - [diffutils](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/diffutils/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diff, file-comparison. - [icdiff](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/icdiff/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diff, terminal. - [vtable-dumper](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/vtable-dumper/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: binary-analysis, c-plus-plus, cli, developer-tools. - [xdelta](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xdelta/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: binary-diff, cli, developer-tools, diff. - [dwarf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dwarf/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: analysis, binary, binary-analysis, cli, developer. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/vbindiff.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/vbindiff.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - 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