# Install libdrawtext with Homebrew

Library for anti-aliased text rendering in OpenGL. Version 0.6 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:libdrawtext
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install libdrawtext
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:libdrawtext
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 0.6
- **Source summary:** Library for anti-aliased text rendering in OpenGL
- **Homepage:** <http://nuclear.mutantstargoat.com/sw/libdrawtext/>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/jtsiomb/libdrawtext>
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- font2glyphmap (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 0.6
## Project history and usage

libdrawtext is John Tsiombikas's small C library for fast anti-aliased text rendering in OpenGL, with FreeType-backed glyph rasterization and an included `font2glyphmap` tool for pre-rendered glyph maps.

### Project history

The README describes libdrawtext as an OpenGL text-rendering helper that can also render into plain RGBA pixel buffers starting with version 0.3. Its copyright range begins in 2011, and the public tags show release_0.1 in August 2012, followed by release_0.2 and 0.2.1 in April 2014, release_0.3 in March 2016, release_0.4 in July 2016, v0.5 in February 2019, and v0.6 in February 2023.

The 0.6 release notes are maintenance-oriented: glyph metric changes, GL backend fixes, Android/OpenGL ES compatibility adjustments, GCC 10 compatibility, and build fixes. That pattern fits a compact library maintained for embedding rather than a broad end-user application.

### Adoption history

Evidence for broad ecosystem adoption is thin, but the Homebrew package and GitHub repository show enough activity for developers who want a lightweight OpenGL text library without pulling in a full UI or game engine stack. Its appeal is strongest for demos, visualization programs, and small graphics tools that need text overlays.

### How it is used

The README points users to example programs and the heavily commented `drawtext.h` header. It supports Unix and MinGW builds through `./configure`, `make`, and `make install`, with FreeType and OpenGL both described as optional depending on whether glyphmaps or pixel-buffer rendering are used.

### Why package nerds care

libdrawtext is a classic small-library package: narrow scope, optional dependencies, C ABI, and a helper binary. For package maintainers, the interesting part is keeping a minimal OpenGL-era text utility available without dragging in larger graphics frameworks.

### Timeline

- 2011: Copyright range begins for libdrawtext.
- 2012: release_0.1 tag published.
- 2014: release_0.2 and release_0.2.1 tags published.
- 2016: release_0.3 added RGBA pixel-buffer rendering; release_0.4 followed.
- 2019: v0.5 release published.
- 2023: v0.6 release published with GL, glyph metric, Android, GCC, and build fixes.

### Related projects

- The README names FreeType as the glyph-rasterization dependency and OpenGL as the main rendering backend. The included `font2glyphmap` utility and example programs are the closest related project surfaces inside the repository.

### Sources

- <https://github.com/jtsiomb/libdrawtext>
- <https://github.com/jtsiomb/libdrawtext/releases>
- <https://github.com/jtsiomb/libdrawtext/tags>


## Security Notes

library-like package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- library-like package without higher-risk signals


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/libdrawtext.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/libdrawtext.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph