Install aom with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage

Commands and aliases

• aomdec
• aomenc

Project history

The official AOMedia repository hosts the reference AV1 codec implementation in googlesource. Its source tree includes the codec library, AV1 implementation code, examples, command-line tools, documentation inputs, test code, and a maintained changelog.

The AV1 format emerged from the Alliance for Open Media's goal of a royalty-free, open video codec. The `aom` repository became the canonical implementation used to validate the format, exercise encoder and decoder behavior, and publish stable libaom releases.

The changelog shows a long-running 3.x series with stable ABI notes, bug fixes, speedups, new codec controls, perceptual quality work, SIMD optimization, and security-fuzzing fixes. The 2026 entries still treat ABI compatibility and experimental API boundaries as first-class release concerns.

Adoption history

aom's adoption follows AV1's adoption: packagers ship libaom so media stacks can build AV1 support, while the `aomenc` and `aomdec` utilities give developers a reference command-line path for testing encodes and decodes.

The input metadata records packaging across Homebrew, Alpine, Debian/Ubuntu tools packages, Fedora, MacPorts, Arch, and openSUSE, which is typical for a core media codec library that other packages link against.

How it is used

Package users most often meet aom through `aomenc` and `aomdec`, or as a dependency of larger video applications. The changelog and source layout point to a library with a stable public API plus experimental codec controls for newer encoder features.

In package builds, aom matters both as an executable tool package and as a codec library dependency. ABI compatibility notes in the changelog are especially relevant to maintainers deciding when downstream media packages need rebuilds.

Why package nerds care

aom is significant because it is a reference implementation, not just another codec package. It sits at the intersection of standards work, browser/media-stack dependencies, SIMD-heavy native builds, fuzzing, ABI promises, and command-line encoder workflows.

For Homebrew and other source-based package managers, libaom releases are the kind of dependency that can ripple through ffmpeg-like build graphs. The package is small to install but large in ecosystem consequence.

Timeline

• 2018: AV1-era libaom release series begins with early `v1.0.0` tags in the official repository.
• 2021: `v3.0.0` appears in the official tag set, marking the start of the modern 3.x release line.
• 2025: Changelog entries include codec controls, tuning modes, speedups, quality work, and ABI-compatible 3.x releases.
• 2026: `v3.14.0` and `v3.14.1` changelog entries document continued ABI-compatible releases, bug fixes, and encoder improvements.

Related projects

• AV1 is the video coding format implemented by libaom.
• The Alliance for Open Media is the standards organization behind AV1.
• Downstream media frameworks and encoders use libaom as an AV1 implementation.

Sources

• https://aomedia.googlesource.com/aom
• https://aomedia.googlesource.com/aom refs via `git ls-remote --tags`
• https://aomedia.googlesource.com/aom/+/refs/heads/main/CHANGELOG
• source_facts.package-manager