macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libkatelocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 5750
Install libkate with Homebrew, dnf, Nix, pacman, apt, zypper
Overlay codec for multiplexed audio/video in Ogg. Version 0.4.3 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install libkate-dev.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install libkateFedora Rawhide package metadata · libkate · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#libkatenixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/li/libkate/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S libkateArch Linux sync databases · libkate · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install libkate-devDebian stable package indexes · libkate-dev · source: deb.debian.org
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install libkate-developenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · libkate-devel · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Overlay codec for multiplexed audio/video in Ogg
Project links
Commands and aliases
- katalyzer
- katedec
- kateenc
history
Project history and usage
libkate is the reference implementation of Kate, an Ogg overlay codec for timed text, karaoke, subtitles, lyrics, images, and arbitrary timed metadata. It belongs to the Xiph.Org media-codec ecosystem alongside Ogg, Vorbis, and Theora.
Project history
The Xiph.Org repository records an initial import on 2008-03-21. The README describes libkate as the reference implementation for the Kate bitstream format and explains that Kate was meant to carry Unicode text, images, animation, and timed metadata in an Ogg container.
The project shipped command-line tools such as kateenc, katedec, and katalyzer, plus KateDJ for remixing Kate tracks in Ogg streams. Upstream documentation also pointed to libtiger, a Pango/Cairo rendering library for Kate streams.
Adoption history
Kate occupied a specific moment in open media packaging: Xiph codecs were widely packaged, subtitle and karaoke support were still codec-fragmented, and players such as VLC, MPlayer, xine, and GStreamer were natural integration targets. The README notes VLC 1.0 support for basic text and SPU Kate streams and preliminary patches for other players.
How it is used
The included tools encode Kate text or SubRip files into Ogg/Kate streams, decode Ogg/Kate streams back to text formats, inspect streams, and remix Kate tracks. Most use cases were subtitles, lyrics, karaoke timing, and metadata overlays multiplexed with audio or video.
Why package nerds care
libkate is package-nerd catnip because it is a small, specialized codec library from the Ogg era: valuable for archival compatibility and multimedia dependency graphs, but rarely something a user installs directly. It explains why older multimedia stacks may carry an apparently odd subtitle/karaoke codec dependency.
Timeline
- 2008-03-21: Xiph.Org Kate repository initial import.
- 2008: README copyright identifies Vincent Penquerc'h and describes libkate as the reference implementation.
- 2008-09-28: kate-0.2.1 tag points at a maintenance commit.
- 2009: README describes VLC 1.0 support for basic Kate streams.
Related projects
- Related projects include Ogg, Vorbis, Theora, VLC, MPlayer, xine, GStreamer, libtiger, Pango, Cairo, and SubRip subtitle tooling.
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:video,audio
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
katalyzer | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
katedec | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
kateenc | 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 version0.4.3
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:libkate |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.4.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://wiki.xiph.org/index.php/OggKate |
| 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%
libkate-dev 0.4.3-1
Codec for karaoke and text encapsulation (dev)
https://wiki.xiph.org/index.php/OggKate
sudo apt install libkate-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libkate
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
Debian apt95%
libkate-tools 0.4.3-1
Utilities for mangling kate Ogg files
https://wiki.xiph.org/index.php/OggKate
sudo apt install libkate-tools- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libkate
- 7 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
Debian apt95%
libkate1 0.4.3-1
Codec for karaoke and text encapsulation
https://wiki.xiph.org/index.php/OggKate
sudo apt install libkate1- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libkate
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
Debian apt95%
liboggkate-dev 0.4.3-1
Codec for karaoke and text encapsulation for Ogg (dev)
https://wiki.xiph.org/index.php/OggKate
sudo apt install liboggkate-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libkate
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
Debian apt95%
liboggkate1 0.4.3-1
Codec for karaoke and text encapsulation for Ogg
https://wiki.xiph.org/index.php/OggKate
sudo apt install liboggkate1- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libkate
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
Nix95%
libkate
nix profile install nixpkgs#libkate- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
Ubuntu apt95%
libkate-dev 0.4.1-11build2
Codec for karaoke and text encapsulation (dev)
https://code.google.com/p/libkate/
sudo apt install libkate-dev- Section: universe/libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libkate
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
Ubuntu apt95%
libkate1 0.4.1-11build2
Codec for karaoke and text encapsulation
https://code.google.com/p/libkate/
sudo apt install libkate1- Section: universe/libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libkate
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
Ubuntu apt95%
liboggkate-dev 0.4.1-11build2
Codec for karaoke and text encapsulation for Ogg (dev)
https://code.google.com/p/libkate/
sudo apt install liboggkate-dev- Section: universe/libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libkate
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
Ubuntu apt95%
liboggkate1 0.4.1-11build2
Codec for karaoke and text encapsulation for Ogg
https://code.google.com/p/libkate/
sudo apt install liboggkate1- Section: universe/libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libkate
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
dnf95%
libkate 0.4.1-36.fc45
Libraries to handle the Kate bitstream format
https://gitlab.xiph.org/xiph/kate
sudo dnf install libkate- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: libkate
- 2 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
dnf95%
libkate-devel 0.4.1-36.fc45
Development files for libkate
https://gitlab.xiph.org/xiph/kate
sudo dnf install libkate-devel- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: libkate
- 6 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
dnf95%
libkate-docs 0.4.1-36.fc45
Documentation for libkate
https://gitlab.xiph.org/xiph/kate
sudo dnf install libkate-docs- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: libkate
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
dnf95%
libkate-utils 0.4.1-36.fc45
Encoder/Decoder utilities for libkate
https://gitlab.xiph.org/xiph/kate
sudo dnf install libkate-utils- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libkate
- 8 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
pacman95%
libkate 0.4.3-4
A karaoke and text codec for embedding in ogg
https://gitlab.xiph.org/xiph/kate
sudo pacman -S libkate- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Architecture: x86_64
- 3 dependencies
- 2 provides
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
zypper95%
libkate-devel 0.4.3-1.6
A karaoke and text codec for embedding in Ogg - Development Files
https://gitlab.xiph.org/xiph/kate
sudo zypper install libkate-devel- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libkate
- 4 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libkate
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