brew / rank 8192

Install bbe with Homebrew, apt, MacPorts, Nix, zypper

Sed-like editor for binary files. Version 0.2.2 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install bbe.

Install command Security notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install bbe

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install bbe

MacPorts ports tree · editors/bbe/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install bbe

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

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#bbe

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

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install bbe

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

overview

Package summary

Sed-like editor for binary files

Project links

Homepage

Commands and aliases

history

Project history and usage

bbe is a small sed-like editor for binary files. Instead of line-oriented text editing, it applies insert, delete, change, replace, and conversion operations to byte blocks in a stream.

Project history

Timo Savinen published the first bbe release, version 0.1.0, on 2005-09-15. The official project page describes the tool as developed in a GNU/Linux environment and distributed under GPL-2.0-or-later.

The 2005-2006 news log shows a compact burst of development: new block commands, script-file driven commands, binary operations, performance fixes, and documentation installation changes.

Adoption history

The official news page records Debian acceptance on 2005-11-06. The supplied package-manager facts show continuing availability in Homebrew, Debian, MacPorts, Nix, Ubuntu, and zypper.

How it is used

bbe is used where a stream editor is convenient but the data is not line-oriented text: byte-range editing, block extraction, binary replacements, and scripted conversion of structured binary input.

Why package nerds care

Package nerds care about bbe because it occupies a tidy old Unix niche: a tiny single-purpose filter that brings sed's scripting style to binary streams. Its Debian-era adoption and survival in multiple package managers make it a good example of small C utilities that remain useful long after active upstream development slows.

Timeline

2005-09-15: First version 0.1.0.
2005-11-06: Accepted into Debian unstable and testing.
2006-11-05: Version 0.2.2 released with command `x` added.

Related projects

Related tools include sed, dd, xxd, hex editors, and other byte-stream filters used in Unix binary-processing pipelines.

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 bottle metadata was recorded.

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
`bbe`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.

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 generated2026-08-03

manager version0.2.2

manager updated

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:bbe
Version	0.2.2
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://sourceforge.net/projects/bbe-/
Bottle	not recorded
Service	none declared

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%

bbe 0.2.2-6

sed-like editor for binary files

http://sourceforge.net/projects/bbe-/

sudo apt install bbe

Section: editors
Architecture: amd64
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Bbe

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

Nix95%

bbe

nix profile install nixpkgs#bbe

normalized package name match
Matched by: Bbe

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

Ubuntu apt95%

bbe 0.2.2-5

sed-like editor for binary files

http://sourceforge.net/projects/bbe-/

sudo apt install bbe

Section: universe/editors
Architecture: amd64
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Bbe

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: bbe from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

zypper95%

bbe 0.2.2-3.24

Binary Block Editor

https://sourceforge.net/projects/bbe-/

sudo zypper install bbe

License: GPL-2.0-or-later
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: bbe
3 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Bbe

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

MacPorts95%