# Install abcde with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, zypper

Better CD Encoder. Version 2.9.3 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install abcde.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:abcde
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install abcde
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install abcde
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: audio/abcde/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- apk (92%):

```sh
sudo apk add abcde
```

  Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: abcde from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

- Debian apt (92%):

```sh
sudo apt install abcde
```

  Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: abcde from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

- dnf (92%):

```sh
sudo dnf install abcde
```

  Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: abcde from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#abcde
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ab/abcde/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

- zypper (92%):

```sh
sudo zypper install abcde
```

  Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: abcde from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:abcde
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 2.9.3
- **Source summary:** Better CD Encoder
- **Homepage:** <https://abcde.einval.com>
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- abcde (alias)
- abcde-musicbrainz-tool (alias)
- cddb-tool (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 2.9.3
## Project history and usage

abcde, short for A Better CD Encoder, is a long-running shell-based audio CD ripping and encoding workflow. Its official wiki describes it as a tool that grabs an entire CD, looks up metadata through CDDB or MusicBrainz, encodes to formats such as Ogg/Vorbis, MP3, FLAC, AAC, Opus, and others, tags files, and produces sensible filenames.

### Project history

The official abcde wiki records multiple contributors over the years, including Robert Woodcock, Jesus Climent, Colin Tuckley, Steve McIntyre, Andrew Strong, and others, with Steve McIntyre listed as current maintainer. The project moved older release hosting away from Google Code and names abcde.einval.com/download as the canonical download location.

### Adoption history

abcde became a familiar Unix package because it automated a full CD-to-files pipeline around existing encoders and metadata tools rather than replacing them. The supplied package-manager metadata lists it across APK, Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Ubuntu, and zypper.

### How it is used

Typical use is a single command that performs metadata lookup, reading, optional normalization, encoding, tagging, moving, replaygain, playlist generation, and cleanup. The manpage documents configuration through /etc/abcde.conf, $HOME/.abcde.conf, and an optional extra file passed with -c.

### Why package nerds care

abcde is package-nerd material because it is a classic glue program: a shell front end that depends on external encoders, CD readers, metadata services, and taggers, making distro dependency choices and sensible defaults central to the user experience.

### Timeline

- 2014: Older 2.4.x and 2.5.x tarballs appear in the official download archive.
- 2015: 2.7 release line appears in the official download archive.
- 2018: 2.9 release line appears in the official download archive.
- 2019: 2.9.3 released as the most recent official tarball listed by the wiki.
- 2021: Git repository summary shows later development commits after 2.9.3.

### Related projects

- abcde orchestrates CDDB, MusicBrainz, CD-TEXT, audio encoders such as LAME, FLAC, Ogg/Vorbis, Opus, and related tagging or replaygain tools.

### Sources

- Official wiki, official download archive, official gitweb summary, official manpage, and source_facts.package-manager.


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals


## Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.


## Configuration files

- Unix: ~/.abcde.conf, /etc/abcde.conf
## Other Package-Manager Records

- Debian apt - abcde - 2.9.3-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: abcde from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | A Better CD Encoder | https://abcde.einval.com/
- Nix - abcde: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ab/abcde/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- Ubuntu apt - abcde - 2.9.3-1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: abcde from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | A Better CD Encoder | https://abcde.einval.com/
- apk - abcde - 2.9.3-r5: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: abcde from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | A command line CD encoder that reads your CD, downloads the track information from a CDDB provider, and rips your CD | https://abcde.einval.com/
- apk - abcde-doc - 2.9.3-r5: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: abcde-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | A command line CD encoder that reads your CD, downloads the track information from a CDDB provider, and rips your CD (documentation) | https://abcde.einval.com/
- dnf - abcde - 2.9.3-21.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: abcde from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | A Better CD Encoder | https://abcde.einval.com/
- zypper - abcde - 2.9.3-8.4: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: abcde from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | Front-end program to a number of utilities for encoding a CD to files | https://abcde.einval.com/
- MacPorts - abcde: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: audio/abcde/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/abcde.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/abcde.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph