# Install freetype with Homebrew, apk, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, apt Software library to render fonts. Version 2.14.3 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install freetype2-demos. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:freetype ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install freetype ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install freetype ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: print/freetype/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add freetype ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: freetype from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install freetype ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: freetype from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#freetype ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/fr/freetype/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install freetype2-demos ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: freetype2-demos from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:freetype - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Version:** 2.14.3 - **Source summary:** Software library to render fonts - **Homepage:** - **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00 ## Executables - freetype-config (alias) ## Install behavior - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-03 - Package-manager version: 2.14.3 ## Project history and usage FreeType is a portable C library for rendering fonts, especially vector and bitmap font formats. It is a foundational graphics dependency: users rarely invoke it directly, but desktop stacks, browsers, games, document renderers, and toolkits depend on the library to turn fonts into glyph images. ### Project history The official history says David Turner created FreeType in 1996 to render TrueType fonts, including a TrueType bytecode interpreter. Robert Wilhelm ported it to C in 1997, Werner Lemberg joined the team, and the Pascal version ended development in 2000. FreeType 2.0 was released in 2000 after beta releases as a complete modular rewrite. It added support for multiple font formats, including PostScript fonts, improved gray-level rendering, and glyph image and metrics caching. The project later narrowed its scope around 2004 to creating rasterized glyph images, leaving text shaping and layout to higher-level libraries such as ICU and HarfBuzz. In 2009 the repository moved from CVS to git, and Werner Lemberg became the sole maintainer with outside contributions. ### Adoption history FreeType 1 influenced OS/2 and TeX tooling through FreeType/2 and ttf2pk, according to the official history. FreeType 2's narrower rendering focus made it a durable low-level dependency rather than a complete text-layout engine. Its adoption is visible through its role as a tiny, efficient, portable renderer used by other software rather than as an end-user program. The README emphasizes portability, customization, and high-quality output across most vector and bitmap font formats. ### How it is used Developers use FreeType through its C API to load font faces, inspect glyph metrics, rasterize glyph images, and integrate font rendering into larger graphics or document pipelines. The official documentation includes glyph conventions, a tutorial, API reference, design notes, and hinting documentation. Packaged FreeType usually exposes headers, libraries, freetype-config for legacy build integration, and documentation. It does not have a normal user config file or credential store. ### Why package nerds care FreeType is one of the archetypal invisible dependencies; upgrading it can affect font rendering across a whole system. Package maintainers care about ABI stability, optional rendering features, patent-era historical choices around hinting, and coordination with HarfBuzz and graphics stacks. Its history also explains an important Unix packaging boundary: FreeType renders glyphs, while shaping and layout live elsewhere. That division is why FreeType and HarfBuzz so often travel together in dependency graphs. ### Timeline - 1996: David Turner created FreeType to render TrueType fonts. - 1997: Robert Wilhelm ported FreeType to C and Werner Lemberg joined the team. - 2000: FreeType 2.0 released as a modular rewrite; Pascal version development stopped. - 2004: Project scope narrowed to rasterized glyph images, leaving shaping and layout to libraries above FreeType. - 2009: Source repository migrated from CVS to git; Werner Lemberg became the only maintainer. - 2026: FreeType 2.14.3 README identifies the current project as a small, efficient, customizable, portable C font rendering library. ### Related projects - HarfBuzz is the shaping library explicitly referenced by the official history as a better layer above FreeType for text shaping. - ICU is also named by the official history as a higher-level library for text layout concerns. - ttf2pk and FreeType/2 are historical FreeType 1 related projects highlighted by the official history. ### Sources - - - - - - ## Security Notes library-like package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - library-like package without higher-risk signals ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - freetype2-demos - 2.13.3+dfsg-1+deb13u1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: freetype2-demos from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | FreeType 2 demonstration programs | https://freetype.org - Debian apt - freetype2-doc - 2.13.3+dfsg-1+deb13u1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: freetype2-doc from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | FreeType 2 font engine, development documentation | https://freetype.org - Debian apt - libfreetype-dev - 2.13.3+dfsg-1+deb13u1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libfreetype-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | FreeType 2 font engine, development files | https://freetype.org - Debian apt - libfreetype6 - 2.13.3+dfsg-1+deb13u1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libfreetype6 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | FreeType 2 font engine, shared library files | https://freetype.org - Nix - freetype: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/fr/freetype/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - freetype2-demos - 2.13.2+dfsg-1build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: freetype2-demos from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | FreeType 2 demonstration programs | https://freetype.org - Ubuntu apt - freetype2-doc - 2.13.2+dfsg-1build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: freetype2-doc from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | FreeType 2 font engine, development documentation | https://freetype.org - Ubuntu apt - libfreetype-dev - 2.13.2+dfsg-1build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libfreetype-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | FreeType 2 font engine, development files | https://freetype.org - Ubuntu apt - libfreetype6 - 2.13.2+dfsg-1build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libfreetype6 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | FreeType 2 font engine, shared library files | https://freetype.org - apk - freetype - 2.14.3-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: freetype from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | TrueType font rendering library | https://www.freetype.org/ - apk - freetype-demos - 2.14.3-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: freetype-demos from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | A collection of FreeType demos | https://www.freetype.org/ - apk - freetype-dev - 2.14.3-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: freetype-dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | TrueType font rendering library (development files) | https://www.freetype.org/ - apk - freetype-doc - 2.14.3-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: freetype-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | TrueType font rendering library (documentation) | https://www.freetype.org/ - apk - freetype-static - 2.14.3-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: freetype-static from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | TrueType font rendering library (static library) | https://www.freetype.org/ - dnf - freetype - 2.14.3-2.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: freetype from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | A free and portable font rendering engine | http://www.freetype.org - dnf - freetype-demos - 2.14.3-2.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: freetype-demos from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | A collection of FreeType demos | http://www.freetype.org ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/freetype.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/freetype.yml) ## Sources - pkg.so package database - Geiger risk classifier - curated package history - pkgdb category and tag curation - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph