macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install disktypeprovider-native install command
brew / rank 8482
Install disktype with Homebrew
Detect content format of a disk or disk image. Version 9 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Detect content format of a disk or disk image
Project links
Commands and aliases
- disktype
history
Project history and usage
disktype is an older C utility for identifying the content format of a disk or disk image by checking signatures for filesystems, partition tables, boot code, archives, compression formats, and disk image formats. It belongs to the toolbox tradition of small Unix inspection commands that answer one storage question clearly.
Project history
The upstream SourceForge site presents disktype as a self-contained C program intended to compile on modern Unix-like systems without special libraries in the common case. The project distributed numbered source tarballs on SourceForge, with the public file feed showing releases from version 1 in February 2003 through version 9 in June 2006.
Adoption history
The project page explicitly invited distribution packagers and noted Debian, Fink, and OpenCSW packaging. Later package-manager records in the input show continued availability through Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, MacPorts, and Ubuntu, which fits its role as a small storage-forensics helper rather than a frequently changing application.
How it is used
disktype is used when a user has a block device, image file, or recovered blob and wants a fast guess at the structures inside it. The official documentation emphasizes both command usage and background notes on recognized formats, making it useful as a practical detector and a reference for interpreting output.
Why package nerds care
For package nerds, disktype is a fossil from the SourceForge-era Unix utility ecosystem: a tiny C program, versioned tarballs, CVS-era project hosting, and enough utility to remain packaged long after its most active release period.
Timeline
- 2003-02: version 1 source tarball published
- 2003-2006: official documentation copyright range
- 2006-06: version 9 source tarball published
Related projects
- Related tools include `file` for general magic-based identification, filesystem-specific inspection tools, and recovery-oriented utilities such as the gpart-style tools linked from the upstream site.
Sources
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:image
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
disktype | 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 version9
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:disktype |
|---|---|
| Version | 9 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://disktype.sourceforge.net/ |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
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
- Nucleus package database
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation