# Install mapscii with Homebrew, Nix

Whole World In Your Console. Version 0.3.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#mapscii.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:mapscii
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install mapscii
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Linux

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#mapscii
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ma/mapscii/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:mapscii
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 0.3.1
- **Source summary:** Whole World In Your Console
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/rastapasta/mapscii>
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- mapscii (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 0.3.1
## Project history and usage

MapSCII is a JavaScript terminal map viewer that renders world map data as Braille and ASCII characters and can be run locally or over a telnet-style terminal session.

### Project history

The MapSCII GitHub repository was created in September 2016. Its README presents the project as a Braille and ASCII world map renderer for the console, with mouse dragging and zooming, points of interest, Mapbox-style layer styling, public or private vector tile servers, OSM2VectorTiles-based data, and offline MBTiles support.

The official release stream shows the early feature path: ASCII mode in 2017, improved mouse support later in 2017, a CoffeeScript-to-JavaScript transition in 2019, and version 0.3.1 in February 2020.

### Adoption history

MapSCII spread as a terminal novelty with real geospatial plumbing underneath. The official README documents npx mapscii, npm install -g mapscii, snap install mapscii, and direct use of the mapscii command, while Homebrew and Nix metadata in the input show additional package-manager adoption.

Its GitHub repository metadata shows unusually high interest for a small CLI map viewer, which fits its role as a memorable demo of vector tiles, terminal graphics, and OpenStreetMap-style data in one command.

### How it is used

Users run mapscii, pan with arrow keys, zoom with a and z, switch character mode with c, quit with q, and use mouse events when the terminal supports them. It can connect to vector tile servers or work with local VectorTile/MBTiles data.

For package users, MapSCII is mostly a frictionless CLI: install it, run mapscii, and get an interactive world map in a terminal without a browser.

### Why package nerds care

MapSCII is significant as a tiny package-index gem: it combines Node packaging, terminal rendering, vector tiles, and OpenStreetMap-derived data in a way that is instantly testable from a shell.

It is also a good example of why package managers carry playful tools: the utility may be narrow, but it exercises real terminal and geospatial dependencies.

### Timeline

- 2016: Public GitHub repository created.
- 2017: ASCII mode and improved mouse support releases published.
- 2019: CoffeeScript-to-JavaScript release published.
- 2020: v0.3.1 release published.

### Related projects

- Mapbox Styles, vector tiles, MBTiles, and OSM2VectorTiles are listed in the official README as part of the MapSCII feature set.
- OpenStreetMap-derived data is central to the project's map-viewing experience.

### Sources

- <https://api.github.com/repos/rastapasta/mapscii>
- <https://api.github.com/repos/rastapasta/mapscii/releases?per_page=5>
- <https://github.com/rastapasta/mapscii>
- source_facts.package-manager


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - mapscii: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ma/mapscii/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1


## Combined YAML source

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


## Sources

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