macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libiconvlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install libiconvMacPorts ports tree · textproc/libiconv/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew / rank 280
Install libiconv with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop
Conversion library. Version 1.19 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#libiconv.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#libiconvnixpkgs package indexes · libiconv · source: raw.githubusercontent.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S libiconvArch Linux sync databases · libiconv · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
Windows
Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install main/iconvScoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/iconv.json · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Conversion library
Project links
Commands and aliases
- iconv
history
Project history and usage
GNU libiconv is the GNU character-set conversion library for systems that lack a usable iconv implementation or lack Unicode-capable conversions.
Project history
The GNU project page frames libiconv around the internet-era problem of moving text among Unicode and older language- or country-dependent encodings. It provides both the iconv() library interface and an iconv command-line program.
GNU libiconv's long-term role has been portability rather than novelty: it supplies consistent conversion support on platforms where libc iconv is absent, incomplete, or not compatible with the encodings an application needs.
Adoption history
The package became common in Unix packaging because many projects use Autoconf tests for iconv and need a fallback on macOS, BSD, Windows ports, or older commercial Unix systems.
The GNU documentation explicitly calls out GNU gettext integration and the circular first-install relationship between gettext and libiconv on some systems, which is why packagers often care about bootstrap order.
How it is used
Developers link against libiconv through iconv_open, iconv, and iconv_close, while users can call the iconv program to convert files or streams between encodings. Build systems commonly surface it through LIBICONV or LTLIBICONV substitutions.
Why package nerds care
libiconv is one of the classic portability packages: invisible when libc has enough charset support, essential when it does not. It also exposes subtle packaging choices around libc replacement, gettext, locale charsets, and whether a dependency should use the system iconv or GNU's implementation.
For package maintainers, it is a reminder that text encoding is infrastructure. A tiny mismatch in iconv availability can decide whether internationalized software builds or produces correct output.
Timeline
- 1998: GNU libiconv documentation carries Free Software Foundation copyright from this period.
- 2024: GNU libiconv 1.18 release notes described POSIX:2024 API compatibility work.
- 2026: The GNU project page documented libiconv 1.19 source and manuals.
Related projects
- GNU gettext is closely related because gettext can use libiconv for message conversion and shares build-system history around iconv.m4.
- glibc iconv is the main system implementation that may make GNU libiconv unnecessary on GNU/Linux systems.
- POSIX iconv is the standard API surface that libiconv implements for portable software.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
library-like package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- library-like package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:library-like
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
iconv | 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 version1.19
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:libiconv |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.19 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://www.gnu.org/software/libiconv/ |
| 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.
Nix95%
libiconv
nix profile install nixpkgs#libiconv- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libiconv
pacman95%
libiconv 1.19-1
GNU charset conversion library
http://www.gnu.org/software/libiconv/
sudo pacman -S libiconv- License: LGPL-2.1-only AND GPL-3.0-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libiconv
MacPorts95%
libiconv
sudo port install libiconv- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libiconv
Nix92%
iconv
nix profile install nixpkgs#iconv- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Iconv
Scoop92%
main/iconv
scoop install main/iconv- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Iconv
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
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation