pkg.soopen package index

brew / rank 2910

Install pngcheck with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, zypper

Print info and check PNG, JNG, and MNG files. Version 4.0.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-09-11. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install pngcheck.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install pngcheck

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install pngcheck

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

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install pngcheck

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

Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install pngcheck

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

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#pngcheck

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

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install pngcheck

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

overview

Package summary

Print info and check PNG, JNG, and MNG files

Commands and aliases

  • pngcheck

history

Project history and usage

pngcheck is a long-lived command-line validator and structural inspector for PNG, JNG, and MNG files.

Project history

pngcheck began in the formative period of PNG. Its reconstructed repository history reaches 13 March 1995, although the earliest releases by Alexander Lehmann are missing. Development passed through Andreas Dilger and Greg Roelofs; Chris Lilley of the W3C took over in 2021. The modern pngcheck 4 series derives from version 3.0.3 and adds support for chunks introduced by later PNG editions, including animated PNG and content-credential data.

Adoption history

pngcheck has remained available across Unix, Windows, DOS, OS/2, Macintosh, and Amiga environments. It is packaged by Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora-family distributions, MacPorts, Nix, and openSUSE, reflecting its long-standing role as a small format-diagnostics utility.

How it is used

pngcheck verifies chunk CRCs and decompresses image data to test integrity. It can print dimensions and bit depth, dump chunk-level metadata, inspect palettes and transparency, extract embedded text, and batch-check collections of images.

Why package nerds care

pngcheck is unusually close in age to PNG itself: its reconstructed history begins only six days after the format specification was finalized. It gives maintainers a low-level view of chunks, checksums, compressed image data, and metadata, making it useful for format debugging, test suites, damaged-file analysis, and package QA.

Timeline

  • 1995-03-13: The reconstructed source history begins, six days after the PNG specification was finalized.
  • 2020-12-12: Version 3.0.0 removed the unsafe force-parsing option and fixed known buffer overruns.
  • 2021-04-25: Version 3.0.3 fixed a divide-by-zero decoding bug.
  • 2021: Chris Lilley took over development.
  • 2025: The historical libpng page confirmed the pnggroup GitHub repository as the official current home.
  • Version 4: Development added support for newer PNG Third and Fourth Edition chunks.

Related projects

  • The official page associates pngcheck with PNG, JNG, MNG, zlib, pngsplit, png-fix-IDAT-windowsize, and other PNG metadata or chunk-inspection tools.

Sources

  • Official changelog: https://github.com/pnggroup/pngcheck/blob/master/CHANGELOG
  • Official current repository and README: https://github.com/pnggroup/pngcheck
  • Official historical home page: https://www.libpng.org/pub/png/apps/pngcheck.html

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.
  • 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

CommandKindExposureNote
pngcheckcliglobal 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 generated2026-09-19
manager version4.0.1
manager updated2026-09-11
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv4.0.1

https://github.com/pnggroup/pngcheck

  • okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:pngcheck
Version4.0.1
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/pngcheck
Homepagehttps://github.com/pnggroup/pngcheck
Repositoryhttps://github.com/pnggroup/pngcheck
LicenseHPND
Source archivehttps://github.com/pnggroup/pngcheck/archive/refs/tags/v4.0.1.tar.gz
Last updated2026-09-11T13:16:43Z
Pulseupdated
Build dependenciescmake
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 Namepngcheck
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • 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%

pngcheck 3.0.3-3

print info and check PNG, JNG and MNG files

http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/apps/pngcheck.html

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

pngcheck

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

pngcheck 3.0.3-3

print info and check PNG, JNG and MNG files

http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/apps/pngcheck.html

sudo apt install pngcheck
  • Section: universe/devel
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 2 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Pngcheck
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: pngcheck from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
dnf95%

pngcheck 4.0.1-5.fc45

Command-line utility to check PNG image files

https://github.com/pnggroup/pngcheck

sudo dnf install pngcheck
  • License: HPND
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: pngcheck
  • 3 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Pngcheck
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: pngcheck from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/652278618dec9c023176a80c435a32a2c8154869fb0eb662c267a54df28d77d9-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

pngcheck 4.0.1-1.4

PNG file format checker

https://github.com/pnggroup/pngcheck

sudo zypper install pngcheck
  • License: HPND
  • Category: Productivity/Graphics/Other
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: pngcheck
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Pngcheck
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: pngcheck from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/d310d5a96106e1e8872a385adf98aaa23be9db5d80937a6717314e7e7f37715065c6c748ab7ccee6475d620b46979c0fe64235fc0c46988e17edf659578fcf31-primary.xml.zst
MacPorts95%

pngcheck

sudo port install pngcheck
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Pngcheck
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: graphics/pngcheck/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/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

  • cmakeBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • pngquantShares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, image-tools, media, png.
  • pngpasteShares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, image-tools, media, png.
  • pngcrushShares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, image-tools, media, png.
  • png2icoShares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, image-tools, media, png.
  • pngnqShares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, image-tools, media, png.
  • spaceman-diffShares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, image-tools, media.

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
  • 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