install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install jpeg-turbo

provider-native install command

overview

Package summary

JPEG image codec that aids compression and decompression

Project links

Commands and aliases

cjpeg
djpeg
jpegtran
rdjpgcom
tjbench
wrjpgcom

history

Project history and usage

libjpeg-turbo is a high-performance JPEG codec built around SIMD acceleration and API compatibility with the long-standing Independent JPEG Group libjpeg API. It is one of the most consequential image libraries in package managers because it can act as a fast drop-in JPEG implementation for a very large body of software.

Project history

The project traces its ancestry to libjpeg/SIMD, an MMX-accelerated derivative of libjpeg v6b by Miyasaka Masaru. The libjpeg-turbo project page says TigerVNC and VirtualGL made numerous enhancements in 2009, and libjpeg-turbo spun off as an independent project in early 2010 to make high-speed JPEG compression and decompression broadly available.

The 1.0.0 SourceForge archive shows source and binary packages dated 2010-07-02, including Unix, Windows, and macOS artifacts. The project later moved official releases to GitHub and packagecloud/APT repositories, with the homepage recording that move on 2023-11-29.

Adoption history

libjpeg-turbo spread because it preserves the familiar libjpeg API while delivering much higher speed on common CPU architectures. The upstream documentation describes both the traditional libjpeg API and the simpler TurboJPEG API, and notes optional compatibility with libjpeg v7 and v8 ABIs.

In 2019, libjpeg-turbo became an ISO/IEC and ITU-T reference implementation of the JPEG standard, giving it standards significance in addition to its practical packaging role.

How it is used

Packages and applications use libjpeg-turbo either through the libjpeg-compatible API, the TurboJPEG API, or command-line tools such as cjpeg, djpeg, jpegtran, rdjpgcom, wrjpgcom, and tjbench. The library is used for both compression and decompression, with color-space extensions for common RGB/BGR buffer layouts.

Why package nerds care

For package maintainers, libjpeg-turbo is a classic performance replacement package: it can sit under image viewers, browsers, desktop stacks, scientific tools, and language bindings while keeping libjpeg compatibility expectations intact.

Its significance is also political in the package ecosystem. Choosing libjpeg-turbo over IJG libjpeg is often a distro-level or dependency-level decision that trades strict upstream lineage for speed, compatibility, and broad real-world adoption.

Timeline

2009: TigerVNC and VirtualGL made major enhancements to libjpeg/SIMD.
2010: libjpeg-turbo spun off as an independent project.
2010: Version 1.0.0 source and binary artifacts appeared in the SourceForge file archive on July 2.
2013: libjpeg-turbo 1.3 added in-memory source and destination manager functions without requiring libjpeg v8 API/ABI emulation.
2019: libjpeg-turbo became an official ISO/IEC and ITU-T reference implementation of JPEG.
2023: Official releases moved to GitHub and packagecloud/APT repositories.
2026: The GitHub release page listed 3.2.0 with release assets dated June 30.

Related projects

libjpeg-turbo descends from libjpeg/SIMD and remains API-compatible with IJG libjpeg v6b.
TigerVNC and VirtualGL were early project antecedents through their 2009 codec work.
The TurboJPEG API is the project's simpler companion API alongside the traditional libjpeg API.
mozjpeg and IJG libjpeg are adjacent JPEG codec projects in packaging decisions.

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:compress,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
`cjpeg`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`djpeg`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`jpegtran`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`rdjpgcom`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`tjbench`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.
`wrjpgcom`	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 version3.2.0

manager updated2026-07-01

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:jpeg-turbo
Version	3.2.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://www.libjpeg-turbo.org/
Repository	https://github.com/libjpeg-turbo/libjpeg-turbo
Last updated	2026-07-01T16:59:42Z
Pulse	updated
Bottle	not recorded
Service	none declared

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

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.

combined/jpeg-turbo.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
curated package history
pkgdb category and tag curation

Install jpeg-turbo with Homebrew