macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install bcryptlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install bcryptMacPorts ports tree · security/bcrypt/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew / rank 3758
Install bcrypt with Homebrew, dnf, MacPorts
Cross platform file encryption utility using blowfish. Version 1.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with dnf: sudo dnf install bcrypt.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install bcryptFedora Rawhide package metadata · bcrypt · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
overview
Package summary
Cross platform file encryption utility using blowfish
Project links
Commands and aliases
- bcrypt
history
Project history and usage
bcrypt is a small cross-platform command-line file encryption utility built around the Blowfish block cipher, not the later password-hashing scheme that shares the same name. Its public SourceForge page and bundled README describe a Unix-style tool that encrypts files to .bfe files, optionally compresses input, and securely overwrites originals before removal.
Project history
Johnny Shelley published bcrypt 1.1 in 2002 under a BSD-style license. The project page ties the tool directly to Bruce Schneier's 1993 Blowfish algorithm and Paul Kocher's public Blowfish implementation, with local changes shipped in the bcrypt source archive.
The 1.1 release notes emphasize portability work: bcrypt had been tested across FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Linux, Cygwin, Win32, Solaris, Mac OS X 10.1 Server, HP-UX, Alpha, MIPS, PPC, SPARC, and other systems. The same notes warn users upgrading from 1.0 on some unsupported architectures to decrypt and re-encrypt files because early portability bugs could affect compatibility.
Adoption history
bcrypt's adoption pattern is typical of early-2000s security utilities: a small upstream tarball, a SourceForge homepage, and packaging by Unix-like distributions for users who wanted a simple local file encryptor. The Homebrew, Fedora, and MacPorts package names preserve that utility even though modern searches for 'bcrypt' usually find password hashing libraries instead.
How it is used
The documented interface is deliberately small: run bcrypt on one or more files, producing .bfe encrypted files; run it again on .bfe input to decrypt. Options control stdout output, compression, removal of input files, and the number of overwrite passes before deletion.
Why package nerds care
For package historians, bcrypt is interesting because it is a name collision frozen in package indexes: this package is a Blowfish file-encryption CLI, while 'bcrypt' is now better known as a password hashing algorithm. It also captures a period when secure deletion, endian portability, source tarballs, GPG signatures, and cross-architecture binary compatibility were front-and-center concerns for small security packages.
Timeline
- 1993: Bruce Schneier publishes the Blowfish algorithm, which bcrypt later uses.
- 2002: bcrypt 1.1 is released by Johnny Shelley with bug fixes, broader operating-system support, better speed, and lower memory use.
- 2000s-2020s: Unix package managers continue carrying bcrypt as a niche file-encryption utility.
Related projects
- Blowfish is the cipher family named by the bcrypt documentation as the cryptographic basis for the tool.
- zlib is the compression dependency documented for the source build.
- Modern bcrypt password-hashing libraries are related mainly by name and Blowfish lineage; they are not the same package or interface.
Sources
- https://bcrypt.sourceforge.net/
- https://bcrypt.sourceforge.net/bcrypt-1.1.tar.gz
- source_facts.package-manager
security posture
Risk level: blue
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.
Risk classifier
blue risk · medium confidence · tool
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
Signals
- text:encrypt
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
bcrypt | 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 version1.1
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:bcrypt |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://bcrypt.sourceforge.net/ |
| 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.
dnf95%
bcrypt 1.1-41.fc45
File encryption utility
http://bcrypt.sourceforge.net/
sudo dnf install bcrypt- License: Zlib
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: bcrypt
- 3 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Bcrypt
MacPorts95%
bcrypt
sudo port install bcrypt- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Bcrypt
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
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation