# Install man-db with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper Unix documentation system. Version 2.13.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install man-db. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:man-db ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install man-db ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install man-db ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: textproc/man-db/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add man-db ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: man-db from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install man-db ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: man-db from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install man-db ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: man-db 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#man-db ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ma/man-db/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S man-db ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: man-db from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/core/os/x86_64/core.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install man ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: man from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:man-db - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Version:** 2.13.1 - **Source summary:** Unix documentation system - **Homepage:** - **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00 ## Executables - accessdb (alias) - catman (alias) - gaccessdb (alias) - gapropos (alias) - gcatman (alias) - glexgrog (alias) - gman (alias) - gman-recode (alias) - gmandb (alias) - gmanpath (alias) - gwhatis (alias) - lexgrog (alias) - mandb (alias) ## Install behavior - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-03 - Package-manager version: 2.13.1 ## Project history and usage man-db is an implementation of the standard Unix manual-page system accessed through `man`. Its official homepage describes it as using an indexed database instead of traditional flat-text whatis databases, with utilities such as `man`, `mandb`, `apropos`, and `whatis` around that database. ### Project history The man-db source tree carries copyright lines going back to John W. Eaton in 1990-1991, Graeme W. Wilford, Fabrizio Polacco, and later Colin Watson. The README identifies Colin Watson as current maintainer and points users to the manual for configuration and formatter details. man-db's development reflects the long transition from historical Unix man-page lookup toward database-backed indexing. Its configuration and cache model track Filesystem Hierarchy Standard paths such as `/usr/share` for manual pages and `/var/cache/man` for cached cat pages, while preserving compatibility with older FSSTND layouts. ### Adoption history The official man-db homepage lists use by several GNU/Linux distributions, including Arch Linux, Debian, Dragora, Fedora, Gentoo, openSUSE, and Ubuntu, and notes that it also compiles and runs on a number of proprietary Unix systems. In package-manager culture, man-db is one of the packages users notice during installs and upgrades because `mandb` updates the manual-page index. It is infrastructure rather than an application: distributions depend on it to make `man`, `apropos`, and `whatis` fast and searchable. ### How it is used `mandb` initializes or manually updates index database caches, and the stored information is used by man-db utilities to improve speed and functionality. `manpath` computes manual search paths using the man-db configuration file and the user's environment. The upstream documentation points packagers and builders to `./src/man_db.conf` and `man/man5/manpath.5` for configuration details. Installed paths depend on `sysconfdir`, while the upstream `manpath` manual documents `~/.manpath` as the default user configuration for `manpath -C`. ### Why package nerds care man-db is important to package nerds because it turns scattered manual pages from every installed package into a searchable local index. Its post-install hooks, cache ownership choices, setuid options, compression support, and path mapping influence how documentation behaves across a whole system. It is also a classic distribution-integration package: the upstream tarball has defaults, but Linux distributions commonly patch paths or integrate it with package triggers, tmpfiles cleanup, and policy around `/usr/share/man` and `/var/cache/man`. ### Timeline - 1990: Early man-db copyright lineage begins with John W. Eaton. - 2001: README notes FHS manual roots `/usr/share` and `/var/cache/man` as current defaults for manual and cat hierarchies. - 2020: GitLab project creation records the modern GitLab project presence. - 2022: NEWS notes the Git repository transfer to https://gitlab.com/man-db/man-db. - 2025: man-db 2.13.1 was released with formatting, portability, and build fixes. ### Related projects - man-db is related to traditional Unix `man`, `apropos`, `whatis`, `catman`, and `makewhatis` implementations. - It also depends on formatter tools such as groff or compatible nroff/troff implementations, and it is often compared with mandoc on systems that can use either as the manual-page viewer/searcher. ### Sources - - - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Unix: ${sysconfdir}/man_db.conf, ~/.manpath ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - man-db - 2.13.1-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: man-db from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | tools for reading manual pages | https://man-db.gitlab.io/man-db/ - Nix - man-db: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ma/man-db/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - man-db - 2.12.0-4build2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: man-db from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | tools for reading manual pages | https://man-db.gitlab.io/man-db/ - apk - man-db - 2.13.1-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: man-db from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | The man command and related utilities for examining on-line help files | https://man-db.gitlab.io/man-db/ - apk - man-db-doc - 2.13.1-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: man-db-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | The man command and related utilities for examining on-line help files (documentation) | https://man-db.gitlab.io/man-db/ - apk - man-db-lang - 2.13.1-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: man-db-lang from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Languages for package man-db | https://man-db.gitlab.io/man-db/ - apk - man-db-systemd - 2.13.1-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: man-db-systemd from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | The man command and related utilities for examining on-line help files (systemd files) | https://man-db.gitlab.io/man-db/ - dnf - man-db - 2.13.1-4.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: man-db from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Tools for searching and reading man pages | http://www.nongnu.org/man-db/ - dnf - man-db-cron - 2.13.1-4.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: man-db-cron from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Periodic update of man-db cache | http://www.nongnu.org/man-db/ - pacman - man-db - 2.13.1-2: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: man-db from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/core/os/x86_64/core.db.tar.gz | A utility for reading man pages | https://gitlab.com/man-db/man-db - zypper - man - 2.13.1-7.3: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: man from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | A Program for Displaying man Pages | https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/man-db - MacPorts - man-db: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: textproc/man-db/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/man-db.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/man-db.yml) ## Sources - pkg.so package database - Geiger risk classifier - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - pkgdb category and tag curation - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph