macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install cdklocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 3349
Install cdk with Homebrew, dnf, Nix, apt, zypper
Curses development kit provides predefined curses widget for apps. Version 5.0-20260119 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-17. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install libcdk-java.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install cdkFedora Rawhide package metadata · cdk · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#cdknixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/cd/cdk/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install libcdk-javaDebian stable package indexes · libcdk-java · source: deb.debian.org
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install cdk-developenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · cdk-devel · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Curses development kit provides predefined curses widget for apps
Project links
Commands and aliases
- cdk5-config
history
Project history and usage
CDK, the Curses Development Kit, is a C curses widget library for building terminal user interfaces. Its official Invisible Island page describes it as a library of customizable curses widgets, similar in spirit to dialog but linked into applications.
Project history
The project was originally written by Mike Glover in the mid-1990s. Thomas E. Dickey's official history identifies CDK 4.6.0, with source files dated January 20, 1996, as the earliest version he had encountered and notes that Glover announced it in comp.sources.unix in January 1996.
Dickey became involved after Glover asked in late 1998 about distributing CDK with ncurses. Dickey reviewed the 4.9.8 code, reworked build and licensing issues, continued cleanup work, and released CDK 5.0 in April 2005.
Adoption history
The official history notes that CDK had already been built on several Unix systems, including Linux, SunOS, Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, and QNX 4. It also records ncurses mailing-list discussion from the late 1990s in which CDK was suggested to users wanting a higher-level interface than raw ncurses.
CDK's distribution history is tied to classic Unix source-package culture: comp.sources.unix announcements, QNX-hosted tarballs, ncurses-adjacent maintenance, and ports or packages across Unix-like systems.
How it is used
CDK is used when a C program needs form, dialog, menu, scrolling-list, and other terminal widgets without building every curses interaction from scratch. The Homebrew package exposes cdk5-config for build flags and metadata.
Why package nerds care
For package maintainers, CDK is interesting because it sits between low-level ncurses and full-screen TUI applications: it is a small library whose portability, ABI, licensing, and configure-script behavior mattered across many Unix packaging systems.
Timeline
- 1996: CDK 4.6.0 announced in comp.sources.unix and distributed as source.
- 1998: Mike Glover asks Thomas E. Dickey about distributing CDK with ncurses.
- 1999: Dickey begins cleanup, configure-script work, and license repair.
- 2005: CDK 5.0 released by Dickey.
Related projects
- CDK is closely related to curses and ncurses, and its official page compares its role to dialog while emphasizing that CDK is a linkable widget library rather than a standalone dialog program.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
cdk5-config | 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 version5.0-20260119
manager updated2026-05-17
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:cdk |
|---|---|
| Version | 5.0-20260119 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://invisible-island.net/cdk/ |
| Last updated | 2026-05-17T09:02:23-04:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| 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%
libcdk-java 1:2.11-1
Chemistry Development Kit (CDK) Java libraries
sudo apt install libcdk-java- Section: java
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: cdk
- 15 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cdk
Nix95%
cdk
nix profile install nixpkgs#cdk- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cdk
Ubuntu apt95%
libcdk-java 1:2.9-1
Chemistry Development Kit (CDK) Java libraries
sudo apt install libcdk-java- Section: universe/libs
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: cdk
- 14 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cdk
dnf95%
cdk 5.0.20260119-4.fc45
Curses Development Kit
https://invisible-island.net/cdk/
sudo dnf install cdk- License: X11-distribute-modifications-variant
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: cdk
- 2 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cdk
dnf95%
cdk-devel 5.0.20260119-4.fc45
Development files for cdk
https://invisible-island.net/cdk/
sudo dnf install cdk-devel- License: X11-distribute-modifications-variant
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: cdk
- 3 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cdk
dnf95%
cdk-doc 5.0.20260119-4.fc45
Documentation and examples for cdk
https://invisible-island.net/cdk/
sudo dnf install cdk-doc- License: X11-distribute-modifications-variant
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: cdk
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cdk
zypper95%
cdk-devel 5.0.20230201-1.9
Development Part of Curses Development Kit
https://invisible-island.net/cdk/
sudo zypper install cdk-devel- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: cdk
- 3 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cdk
zypper95%
libcdk6_3_4 5.0.20230201-1.9
The Runtime for the Curses Development Kit - Shared library
https://invisible-island.net/cdk/
sudo zypper install libcdk6_3_4- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: cdk
- 5 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cdk
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