macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libredwglocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 2795
Install libredwg with Homebrew, Nix, zypper
DWG utilities. Version 0.13.3 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#libredwg.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#libredwgnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/li/libredwg/package.nix · source: api.github.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install libredwg-developenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · libredwg-devel · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
DWG utilities
Project links
Commands and aliases
- dwg2SVG
- dwg2dxf
- dwgadd
- dwgbmp
- dwgfilter
- dwggrep
- dwglayers
- dwgread
- dwgrewrite
- dwgwrite
- dxf2dwg
- dxfwrite
history
Project history and usage
GNU LibreDWG is a GPLv3-or-later C library and command-line tool set for reading and writing AutoCAD DWG files. Its package-manager value is straightforward: it gives free software systems a scriptable DWG decoder/encoder and conversion utilities without relying on proprietary OpenDWG/ODA libraries.
Project history
The GNU project page describes LibreDWG as a free replacement for OpenDWG libraries and says it is based on LibDWG, originally written by Felipe Castro. The manual records the project lineage more specifically: LibreDWG came out of code from the QCad Community Edition product from RibbonSoft, and the old libdwg code was forked to LibreDWG in 2009.
LibreDWG's long-running engineering problem is that DWG is proprietary. The manual states that the format had to be reverse-engineered and that, for LibreDWG 0.13.4 dated March 17, 2026, coverage was approximately 99%, with reading support across many DWG revisions and writing support still more constrained for newer formats.
Adoption history
LibreDWG has mattered most to CAD, GIS, and document-conversion users who need batchable access to DWG data in free software environments. The manual names FreeCAD and GRASS GIS as projects using DWG or specifically LibreDWG, and mentions plans around SolveSpace, LibreCAD, FreeCAD, OpenSCAD, and PythonCAD.
Its adoption has been cautious because DWG compatibility is a moving target and because writing newer DWG versions is harder than reading them. That niche, however, is exactly why distributions package it: even partial DWG support is valuable when users need automated inspection, conversion, text search, layer listing, SVG/PostScript output, DXF, JSON, or GeoJSON workflows.
How it is used
Packaged users usually encounter LibreDWG through tools such as dwgread, dwgwrite, dwgrewrite, dwg2dxf, dxf2dwg, dwg2SVG, dwggrep, and dwglayers, or by linking C programs against libredwg. The manual explicitly notes that programs should link with -lredwg, because the shared object is named libredwg and -llibredwg would look for a non-existent liblibredwg.
Why package nerds care
LibreDWG is a classic package-nerd package: legally and technically difficult format support, a GNU maintenance story, CLI utilities, reverse-engineered coverage tables, and bindings/converters that unblock other packages. It is also a reminder that data-liberation libraries often ship as humble formulae even when their underlying work is years of file-format archaeology.
Timeline
- 2009: The old libdwg code was forked to LibreDWG.
- 2010-2025: The GNU manual copyright range records continuing FSF documentation maintenance.
- 2026-03-17: GNU LibreDWG manual version 0.13.4 dated.
- 2026-03-19: GNU generated manual page last updated.
Related projects
- Related projects include LibDWG, QCad Community Edition, FreeCAD, GRASS GIS, LibreCAD, SolveSpace, OpenSCAD, PythonCAD, libdxfrw, libopencad, ACadSharp, OpenDWG, and the Open Design Alliance ecosystem.
Sources
security posture
No protected-tool coverage found yet
No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for libredwg. 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.
- Build metadata lists 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
dwg2SVG | cli | global executable | |
dwg2dxf | cli | global executable | |
dwgadd | cli | global executable | |
dwgbmp | cli | global executable | |
dwgfilter | cli | global executable | |
dwggrep | cli | global executable | |
dwglayers | cli | global executable | |
dwgread | cli | global executable | |
dwgrewrite | cli | global executable | |
dwgwrite | cli | global executable | |
dxf2dwg | cli | global executable | |
dxfwrite | 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 generated2026-08-04
manager version0.13.3
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://www.gnu.org/software/libredwg/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.gnu.org/software/libredwg/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:libredwg |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.13.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libredwg |
| Homepage | https://www.gnu.org/software/libredwg/ |
| Upstream docs | https://www.gnu.org/software/libredwg/ |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/gnu/libredwg/libredwg-0.13.3.tar.gz |
| Build dependencies | autoconf, automake, texinfo |
| 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 | libredwg |
| 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.
Nix95%
libredwg
nix profile install nixpkgs#libredwg- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libredwg
zypper95%
libredwg-devel 0.14.8413-1.2
Development files for libredwg
https://www.gnu.org/software/libredwg/
sudo zypper install libredwg-devel- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libredwg
- 2 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libredwg
zypper95%
libredwg-tools 0.14.8413-1.2
Command line utilities for handling DWG file
https://www.gnu.org/software/libredwg/
sudo zypper install libredwg-tools- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Productivity/File utilities
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libredwg
- 6 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libredwg
zypper95%
libredwg0 0.14.8413-1.2
A library to handle DWG files
https://www.gnu.org/software/libredwg/
sudo zypper install libredwg0- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: System/Libraries
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libredwg
- 3 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libredwg
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
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation