# Install naturaldocs with Homebrew, apt, MacPorts, dnf
Extensible, multi-language documentation generator. Version 2.3.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-27. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install naturaldocs.
## Install
```sh
sudo av install brew:naturaldocs
```
Additional install commands:
### macOS
- Homebrew (100%):
```sh
brew install naturaldocs
```
Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata
- MacPorts (94%):
```sh
sudo port install naturaldocs
```
Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: textproc/naturaldocs/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
### Linux
- Debian apt (92%):
```sh
sudo apt install naturaldocs
```
Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: naturaldocs from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
- dnf (92%):
```sh
sudo dnf install NaturalDocs
```
Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: NaturalDocs from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst
## Package facts
- **Package key:** brew:naturaldocs
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 2.3.1
- **Source summary:** Extensible, multi-language documentation generator
- **Homepage:**
- **Repository:**
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-27T12:14:49-04:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00
## Executables
- naturaldocs (alias)
## Install behavior
- Bottle: not available
## Freshness
- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 2.3.1
## Project history and usage
Natural Docs is a multi-language source-code documentation generator built around comments that stay readable in the source file. Its niche is documentation that feels closer to prose than annotation syntax, while still producing browsable HTML output.
### Project history
The official About page says Greg Valure wrote Natural Docs after rejecting heavier documentation workflows, open sourced it, and has maintained it since its first release in 2003. The same page records the major architectural shift from the original Perl implementation to Natural Docs 2.0, a C# rewrite with a new engine.
The GitHub repository for the 2.x code was created on 2017-04-17. Public GitHub releases include Natural Docs 2.3 on 2023-09-12, 2.3.1 on 2025-02-01, and 2.4 beta work in 2026.
### Adoption history
Natural Docs has a long tail rather than a large modern package-manager footprint. The official site says it is used by educational institutions, government, companies, and individuals, and points to public pages generated by Natural Docs as evidence. Homebrew analytics consulted on 2026-07-01 listed 113 installs over the preceding 365 days.
### How it is used
Users configure a project with `Project.txt`, which tells Natural Docs which source folders to scan, where to write generated documentation, and project metadata such as title. The reference documentation says command-line options can override parts of Project.txt, partly for compatibility with Natural Docs 1.x workflows.
### Why package nerds care
Natural Docs is interesting to package maintainers because it spans two eras of language tooling: old Perl-era source documentation and the 2.x C#/Mono packaging story. The Homebrew formula still depends on Mono, which makes it a reminder that documentation generators often carry runtime packaging constraints long after their core idea stabilizes.
### Timeline
- 2003: First Natural Docs release, according to the official About page.
- 2015-05-04: Natural Docs 2.0 development release tag appears in the GitHub repository.
- 2017-04-17: GitHub repository created for the 2.x source tree.
- 2023-09-12: Natural Docs 2.3 released.
- 2025-02-01: Natural Docs 2.3.1 released.
- 2026-05-26: Natural Docs 2.4 Beta 1 released as a prerelease.
### Related projects
- Comparable documentation generators include Doxygen, Javadoc-style tooling, Sphinx, and language-native documentation systems, but Natural Docs' distinguishing feature is its plain-English comment style.
### 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: Project.txt in the project configuration folder
## Other Package-Manager Records
- Debian apt - naturaldocs - 1.51-4: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: naturaldocs from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | extensible, multi-language documentation generator | https://www.naturaldocs.org/
- Ubuntu apt - naturaldocs - 1:1.5.1-0ubuntu1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: naturaldocs from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | an extensible, multi-language documentation generator
- dnf - NaturalDocs - 1.52-37.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: NaturalDocs from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Documentation generator for multiple programming languages | http://www.naturaldocs.org/
- MacPorts - naturaldocs: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: textproc/naturaldocs/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/naturaldocs.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/naturaldocs.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