macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install chardetlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 3420
Install chardet with Homebrew, apt
Python character encoding detector. Version 7.4.3 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-19. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install python-chardet-doc.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install python-chardet-docDebian stable package indexes · python-chardet-doc · source: deb.debian.org
overview
Package summary
Python character encoding detector
Project links
Commands and aliases
- chardetect
history
Project history and usage
chardet is Python's long-running universal character encoding detector, exposed as both a library and the `chardetect` command-line tool.
Project history
The official README says Mark Pilgrim originally created chardet in 2006 as a Python port of Mozilla's universal charset detection library. After Pilgrim disappeared from the web in 2011, maintenance continued under later Python maintainers.
Adoption history
chardet became a standard dependency in Python text-processing stacks because it solved the practical problem of guessing encodings for unknown byte streams. The supplied package facts show Homebrew packaging plus Debian and Ubuntu documentation packages, while the README documents normal installation with `pip install chardet`.
How it is used
Users call `chardet.detect`, `detect_all`, or `UniversalDetector` from Python, or run `chardetect` on files or stdin to print a guessed encoding and confidence.
Why package nerds care
chardet is package-nerd significant because it sits at the messy boundary between package metadata, HTTP downloads, archives, and text decoding. It is also notable for a 2026 chardet 7 rewrite that kept the package name and public API while changing implementation and license.
Timeline
- 2006: Mark Pilgrim created chardet as a Python port of Mozilla's universal charset detector.
- 2008: chardet 1.0.1 released on PyPI according to the official README history.
- 2011: Project maintenance continued after Pilgrim deleted his online accounts.
- 2012: chardet/chardet public GitHub repository created.
- 2017: chardet 3.0.x releases published on GitHub.
- 2026: chardet 7.0 released as a ground-up 0BSD-licensed rewrite under the same package name.
Related projects
- Mozilla's universal charset detection library is the upstream idea chardet originally ported.
- charset-normalizer is a related Python encoding detector compared directly in the chardet 7 README.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
chardetect | 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 version7.4.3
manager updated2026-07-19
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:chardet |
|---|---|
| Version | 7.4.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://chardet.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ |
| Last updated | 2026-07-19T07:40:16-04:00 |
| 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%
python-chardet-doc 5.2.0+dfsg-2
Universal Character Encoding Detector (Documentation)
https://github.com/chardet/chardet
sudo apt install python-chardet-doc- Section: doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: chardet
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Chardet
Debian apt95%
python3-chardet 5.2.0+dfsg-2
Universal Character Encoding Detector (Python3)
https://github.com/chardet/chardet
sudo apt install python3-chardet- Section: python
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: chardet
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Chardet
Ubuntu apt95%
python-chardet-doc 5.2.0+dfsg-1
Universal Character Encoding Detector (Documentation)
https://github.com/chardet/chardet
sudo apt install python-chardet-doc- Section: doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: chardet
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Chardet
Ubuntu apt95%
python3-chardet 5.2.0+dfsg-1
Universal Character Encoding Detector (Python3)
https://github.com/chardet/chardet
sudo apt install python3-chardet- Section: python
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: chardet
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Chardet
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