brew / rank 3469

Install efl with Homebrew, apk, dnf, pacman, zypper, apt, MacPorts

Enlightenment Foundation Libraries. Version 1.28.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-10. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install efl-doc.

Install command Security notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install efl

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install eet

MacPorts ports tree · devel/eet/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add efl

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · efl · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install efl

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · efl · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S efl

Arch Linux sync databases · efl · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install efl

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

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install efl-doc

Debian stable package indexes · efl-doc · source: deb.debian.org

overview

Package summary

Enlightenment Foundation Libraries

Project links

Homepage

Commands and aliases

diffeet
ecore_evas_convert
edje_cc
edje_codegen
edje_decc
edje_external_inspector
edje_inspector
edje_pick
edje_player
edje_recc
edje_watch
eet
eetpack
efl_debug
efl_debugd
efreetd
eina_btlog
eina_modinfo
eldbus-codegen
elementary_codegen
elementary_config
elementary_perf
elementary_quicklaunch
elementary_run
elementary_test
elm_prefs_cc
embryo_cc
eo_debug
eolian_cxx
eolian_gen
ethumb
ethumbd

history

Project history and usage

EFL, the Enlightenment Foundation Libraries, is the C library stack behind the Enlightenment desktop and a set of graphics, UI, event-loop, IPC, file, thumbnailing, audio, and rendering facilities that can also be used independently.

Project history

The Enlightenment project says Enlightenment began in the 1990s as an X11 window manager created by Carsten Haitzler and expanded into the C codebase that forms EFL plus related applications. EFL is therefore both a toolkit and the technical substrate of a long-running desktop project.

The official EFL README describes it as a collection of libraries for common developer tasks such as data structures, communication, rendering, widgets, shared libraries, loadable modules, and binary tools. The project packages many historically separate Enlightenment libraries together, including Eina, Evas, Ecore, Edje, Eet, Efreet, Eldbus, Embryo, Emotion, Ethumb, EIO, and Elementary.

The official About EFL page presents the stack as layered: low-level libraries remain accessible, while higher-level UI facilities build on top. It also notes the transition from the older stable module names toward a unified Efl namespace.

Adoption history

EFL adoption is tied to Enlightenment, Linux distributions, embedded systems, and Tizen-era consumer devices. The official About EFL page says it has powered systems ranging from phones and set-top boxes to desktops, laptops, game systems, Samsung watches, Samsung smart TVs, refrigerators, and GPS devices.

The project emphasizes efficiency, speed, and small memory footprint compared with GTK+ and Qt equivalents. That performance story explains why EFL has mattered outside conventional desktop packaging, especially in embedded and appliance-like environments.

How it is used

Developers use EFL as a C-first library stack. The README points to source under src/lib, binaries under src/bin, modules under src/modules, data under data, and pkg-config files under pc for building applications against installed libraries.

The stack covers normal GUI-toolkit needs through Elementary and Efl_Ui, but also lower-level pieces: Ecore for the main loop and events, Evas for scene graph rendering, Edje for themed layout and animation data, Eina for data structures, Eet for serialization, and network, IPC, input, and platform glue libraries.

Why package nerds care

EFL is package-nerd-significant because it is not just one library: it is a historically layered desktop and embedded application platform with many command-line tools and development artifacts hidden behind one short package name.

In package managers, efl is a clue that the system may be able to build Enlightenment-family applications, inspect or compile Edje theme files, generate Eolian code, use Elementary widgets, and run assorted EFL developer utilities.

Timeline

1990s: Enlightenment launched as an X11 window manager.
2010s: EFL presented as the one-million-line C library foundation beneath Enlightenment and related applications.
2014: GitHub mirror of the official EFL repository created.
Present: EFL documentation describes an ongoing transition from named stable modules toward the unified Efl namespace.

Related projects

Related Enlightenment projects include the Enlightenment desktop shell, Terminology, Rage, Ephoto, EDI, Evisum, and the E16 predecessor line. Related platform contexts include Tizen and embedded Linux systems.

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:record,client

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
`diffeet`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`ecore_evas_convert`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`edje_cc`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`edje_codegen`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`edje_decc`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`edje_external_inspector`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`edje_inspector`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`edje_pick`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`edje_player`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`edje_recc`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`edje_watch`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`eet`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`eetpack`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`efl_debug`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`efl_debugd`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`efreetd`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`eina_btlog`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`eina_modinfo`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`eldbus-codegen`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`elementary_codegen`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`elementary_config`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`elementary_perf`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`elementary_quicklaunch`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`elementary_run`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`elementary_test`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`elm_prefs_cc`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`embryo_cc`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`eo_debug`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`eolian_cxx`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`eolian_gen`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`ethumb`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`ethumbd`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`ethumbd_client`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`exactness`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`exactness_inject`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`exactness_inspect`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`exactness_play`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`exactness_record`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`vieet`	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 version1.28.1

manager updated2026-07-10

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:efl
Version	1.28.1
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://www.enlightenment.org
Last updated	2026-07-10T19:44:23-04:00
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%

efl-doc 1.28.1-1

Documentation for the Enlightenment Foundation Libraries