brew

Install zbar with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper

Suite of barcodes-reading tools. Version 0.23.93 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-06.

Install command Security notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install zbar

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install zbar

MacPorts ports tree · graphics/zbar/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add libzbar

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · libzbar · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install gir1.2-zbar-1.0

Debian stable package indexes · gir1.2-zbar-1.0 · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install python3-zbar

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · python3-zbar · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#zbar

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

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S zbar

Arch Linux sync databases · zbar · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install libzbar-devel

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · libzbar-devel · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

Suite of barcodes-reading tools

Project links

Commands and aliases

zbarimg

history

Project history and usage

ZBar is an open-source C barcode and QR-code reader suite with command-line tools, camera and image scanners, GUI bindings, and language bindings used by desktop applications, scripts, and packaging ecosystems.

Project history

The project began as Zebra, with version 0.1 in 2007 supporting basic EAN-13 and UPC-A scanning from a webcam or stored image files through `zebracam` and `zebraimg`. The 0.7 release in 2009 finalized the name change to ZBar and added Python bindings.

ZBar expanded quickly in 2008-2009: releases added Code 128, Video4Linux2 support, more image formats, GTK/PyGTK/Qt widgets, EAN-8, Code 39, Interleaved 2 of 5, Windows command-line ports, and QR Code support in 0.10. The SourceForge site presented it as a suite for reading bar codes from video streams, image files, and raw intensity sensors.

After the old upstream line stalled, Mauro Carvalho Chehab created a LinuxTV-hosted fork. NEWS.md says 0.20 in 2017 was created because upstream had no version since 2009, and focused on modern Video4Linux2 support via libv4l2, Qt5 compatibility, and new zbarcam GUI applications.

The maintained 0.23 line modernized ZBar for newer libraries: Gtk2 or Gtk3, Python2 or Python3, GObject Introspection bindings, Windows DirectShow support, and continued command-line/library use.

Adoption history

ZBar became a common Unix packaging dependency because it is both a library and a tool suite. Distributions can ship `zbarimg` for scanning image files, `zbarcam` for webcams, development headers, and bindings used by Python, Perl, Ruby, Qt, GTK, and GObject-based applications.

Its adoption is especially visible in wrappers such as pyzbar and in distro packages that expose ZBar through GIR, Python, Qt, GTK, and CLI subpackages. That breadth kept the project relevant even when the original SourceForge release line slowed down.

The LinuxTV fork is an adoption story in itself: webcam APIs and GUI stacks changed under ZBar, so package maintainers needed a maintained upstream that could keep barcode scanning working on current kernels, desktops, Python versions, and Windows capture APIs.

How it is used

Users run `zbarimg` against screenshots, photos, PDFs, or generated image files, or use `zbarcam` to scan a Video4Linux camera stream and print decoded symbols to standard output. Application developers link libzbar or use bindings when barcode recognition needs to be embedded in another program.

Supported symbologies across the project history include EAN/UPC variants, Code 128, Code 93, Code 39, Codabar, Interleaved 2 of 5, QR Code, and later SQ Code. The common packaging value is that a script or app can delegate messy image/camera barcode decoding to a small native library.

Why package nerds care

ZBar is package-nerd significant because it is a textbook survivor package: a small C library plus CLI tools, bindings across languages, GUI integrations, and a fork that exists largely to keep old useful functionality compiling and working on modern systems.

It also shows why package metadata can hide real complexity. A formula called `zbar` may look like a simple barcode tool, but downstreams care about webcam backends, image libraries, Python and GIR bindings, Qt/GTK optionality, Windows capture support, and security fixes for untrusted QR/image parsing.

Timeline

2007-03-24: First official Zebra 0.1 release, with basic webcam and image-file scanning.
2009-04-21: Version 0.7 finalized the project name change to ZBar and added Python bindings.
2009-08-31: Version 0.9 introduced Windows command-line application ports.
2009-10-23: Version 0.10 added QR Code support.
2017-04-11: Version 0.20 launched the LinuxTV fork after the old upstream line had no version since 2009.
2019: Versions 0.21 through 0.23 modernized compiler, Windows, Java, Gtk, Python, GIR, and DirectShow support.

Related projects

Related projects include pyzbar, Barcode::ZBar, zbarlight, ZXing, QR/barcode scanner applications, Video4Linux, libv4l2, GTK, Qt, GObject Introspection, and distro packages that split ZBar into CLI, library, and binding components.

Sources

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.
Installs with 10 runtime dependencies.
Build metadata lists 2 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
`zbarimg`	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 version0.23.93

manager updated2026-07-06

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://linuxtv.org/downloads/zbar/

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://linuxtv.org/downloads/zbar/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:zbar
Version	0.23.93
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/zbar
Homepage	https://linuxtv.org/downloads/zbar/
Repository	https://github.com/mchehab/zbar
Upstream docs	https://zbar.sourceforge.net/
License	LGPL-2.1-only
Source archive	https://linuxtv.org/downloads/zbar/zbar-0.23.93.tar.bz2
Last updated	2026-07-06T11:06:09Z
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	fontconfig, freetype, gettext, glib, imagemagick, jpeg-turbo, liblqr, libomp, libtool, little-cms2
Build dependencies	pkgconf, xmlto
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	zbar
Version Scheme	0
Revision	4
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
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%

gir1.2-zbar-1.0 0.23.93-8

QR code / bar code scanner and decoder (introspection data)