# Install openal-soft with Homebrew, apk, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, apt, zypper Implementation of the OpenAL 3D audio API. Version 1.25.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-12. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install libopenal-data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:openal-soft ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install openal-soft ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install openal-soft ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: audio/openal-soft/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add openal-soft ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: openal-soft from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install openal-soft ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: openal-soft 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#openal-soft ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/op/openal-soft/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install libopenal-data ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: libopenal-data from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install libopenal0 ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libopenal0 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:openal-soft - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Version:** 1.25.2 - **Source summary:** Implementation of the OpenAL 3D audio API - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Last updated:** 2026-05-12T11:50:33Z - **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00 ## Executables - openal-info (alias) ## Install behavior - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-03 - Package-manager version: 1.25.2 ## Project history and usage OpenAL Soft is a cross-platform, LGPL-licensed software implementation of the OpenAL 3D audio API. It provides spatial audio features such as distance attenuation, Doppler shift, directional sound emitters, environmental effects, streaming audio, multi-channel buffers, and audio capture. ### Project history The project traces its lineage to the open-sourced Windows implementation of OpenAL once hosted at openal.org's Subversion repository. OpenAL Soft forked that codebase and developed into a maintained software renderer after the original OpenAL sample implementation became deprecated and less central to the ecosystem. The GitHub repository dates to August 24, 2014, but the OpenAL Soft release archive contains earlier 1.x tarballs, showing that the project predates its GitHub-hosted development. Its official documentation and README emphasize portability, CMake-based builds, and selectable audio backends such as PipeWire, PulseAudio, ALSA, CoreAudio, and WASAPI. ### Adoption history OpenAL Soft became the practical free-software answer for applications and games that wanted the OpenAL API without relying on vendor-specific or proprietary implementations. It is packaged across many Unix-like systems and C/C++ dependency managers, including Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, Debian/Ubuntu-family packages, Fedora-family packages, Alpine, openSUSE, vcpkg, Conan, and FreeBSD ports. Language bindings helped keep the API useful outside C and C++. The upstream README points to OpenTK for C#, LWJGL and JOAL for Java, Kotlin/Native bindings, PyOpenAL for Python, and other wrappers that build on the same OpenAL API surface. ### How it is used Applications link against OpenAL Soft as an OpenAL-compatible library, then create buffers, sources, and a listener to render positional audio. Operators and users can tune behavior through system-wide or per-user configuration files such as `alsoft.conf` and environment-directed configuration. The package also installs `openal-info`, a diagnostic utility that reports devices, versions, extensions, and ALC/AL subsystem details. That small executable is useful for debugging backend detection, missing devices, and extension support. ### Why package nerds care OpenAL Soft is the kind of library that quietly keeps old and portable multimedia software buildable. Package maintainers care about it because it sits below games, emulators, engines, and language bindings, while abstracting the messy per-platform audio backends. Its value is not just OpenAL compatibility; it is an active, redistributable implementation with configuration knobs and modern audio features that can be shipped on systems where the original vendor lineage is not enough. ### Timeline - Pre-GitHub: OpenAL Soft release tarballs were published through the project's release archive. August 24, 2014: the GitHub repository was created. May 12, 2026: GitHub releases list OpenAL Soft 1.25.2. ### Related projects - OpenAL Soft relates directly to the OpenAL API, the older OpenAL sample implementation, OpenAL.org documentation, EFX extensions, and language stacks such as LWJGL, OpenTK, JOAL, and PyOpenAL. ### Sources - - - - - - ## Security Notes No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for openal-soft. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL. ## 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: /etc/openal/alsoft.conf, $XDG_CONFIG_DIRS/alsoft.conf, ~/.alsoftrc, $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/alsoft.conf, ~/.config/alsoft.conf, $ALSOFT_CONF - Windows: %APPDATA%\alsoft.ini, %ALSOFT_CONF% ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - libopenal-data - 1:1.24.2-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libopenal-data from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Software implementation of the OpenAL audio API (data files) | https://github.com/kcat/openal-soft - Debian apt - libopenal-dev - 1:1.24.2-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libopenal-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Software implementation of the OpenAL audio API (development files) | https://github.com/kcat/openal-soft - Debian apt - libopenal1 - 1:1.24.2-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libopenal1 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Software implementation of the OpenAL audio API (shared library) | https://github.com/kcat/openal-soft - Debian apt - openal-tools - 1:1.24.2-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: openal-tools from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Utilities for the OpenAL audio API | https://github.com/kcat/openal-soft - Nix - openal-soft: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/op/openal-soft/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - libopenal-data - 1:1.23.1-4build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libopenal-data from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Software implementation of the OpenAL audio API (data files) | https://github.com/kcat/openal-soft - Ubuntu apt - libopenal-dev - 1:1.23.1-4build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libopenal-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Software implementation of the OpenAL audio API (development files) | https://github.com/kcat/openal-soft - Ubuntu apt - libopenal1 - 1:1.23.1-4build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libopenal1 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Software implementation of the OpenAL audio API (shared library) | https://github.com/kcat/openal-soft - Ubuntu apt - openal-tools - 1:1.23.1-4build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: openal-tools from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Utilities for the OpenAL audio API | https://github.com/kcat/openal-soft - apk - openal-soft - 1.25.2-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: openal-soft from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | software implementation of OpenAL API | https://openal-soft.org/ - apk - openal-soft-dev - 1.25.2-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: openal-soft-dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | software implementation of OpenAL API (development files) | https://openal-soft.org/ - apk - openal-soft-libs - 1.25.2-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: openal-soft-libs from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | software implementation of OpenAL API (libraries) | https://openal-soft.org/ - dnf - openal-soft - 1.24.2-9.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: openal-soft from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Software implementation of the OpenAL 3D audio API | https://openal-soft.org/ - dnf - openal-soft-devel - 1.24.2-9.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: openal-soft-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Development files for openal-soft | https://openal-soft.org/ - dnf - openal-soft-examples - 1.24.2-9.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: openal-soft-examples from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Sample applications for OpenAl Soft | https://openal-soft.org/ - dnf - openal-soft-qt - 1.24.2-9.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: openal-soft-qt from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Qt frontend for configuring OpenAL Soft | https://openal-soft.org/ ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/openal-soft.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/openal-soft.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