macOS
brew install openfpgaloaderlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 3702
Universal utility for programming FPGA. Version 1.1.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-15. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install openfpgaloader.
install
brew install openfpgaloaderlocal Homebrew formula metadata
sudo apk add openfpgaloaderAlpine Linux edge package indexes · openfpgaloader · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
sudo apt install openfpgaloaderDebian stable package indexes · openfpgaloader · source: deb.debian.org
nix profile install nixpkgs#openfpgaloadernixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/op/openfpgaloader/package.nix · source: api.github.com
sudo pacman -S openfpgaloaderArch Linux sync databases · openfpgaloader · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
overview
Universal utility for programming FPGA
history
openFPGALoader is a cross-platform utility for programming FPGA devices and their attached flash memories. It targets a broad spread of boards, cables, and FPGA families from vendors including Xilinx, Altera/Intel, Lattice, Gowin, Efinix, Anlogic, and Cologne Chip.
The openFPGALoader repository was created in September 2019 and the first GitHub release, v0.1, was published in July 2020. Its documentation frames the project as a universal loader that hides vendor- and board-specific programming differences behind one command-line tool.
The project grew by adding board, cable, and vendor support rather than by becoming a synthesis or place-and-route framework. Its compatibility pages and vendor notes are central to the project because the practical challenge is recognizing and programming many slightly different JTAG, FTDI, DFU, CMSIS-DAP, and board-level configurations.
openFPGALoader became part of the open FPGA toolchain story because bitstream generation and bitstream loading are separate problems. F4PGA documentation describes it as a universal FPGA programming tool and an alternative to fragmented bitstream-loading tools, and package managers distribute it across Homebrew, Debian/Ubuntu, Arch Linux, Alpine, Nix, and other systems.
Developers use openFPGALoader after producing a bitstream, selecting a board or cable and then writing the bitstream to SRAM or flash. The Ubuntu man page documents options for board selection, cable selection, device probing, JTAG frequency, DFU mode, bitstream arguments, and flash detection.
In practice it is especially useful for labs, teaching, CI benches, and hobbyist workflows where a small command-line programmer is easier to script than a vendor IDE.
openFPGALoader matters in package catalogs because it is a rare hardware-facing developer tool that can be installed like ordinary software while replacing a mess of vendor-specific programming utilities for many day-to-day FPGA boards.
security posture
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
openFPGALoader | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
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.
install metadata
| Package key | brew:openfpgaloader |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.1.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://trabucayre.github.io/openFPGALoader/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/trabucayre/openFPGALoader |
| Last updated | 2026-06-15T10:20:22-04:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source database matches
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
openfpgaloader 0.13.1-1
Universal utility for programming FPGAs
https://github.com/trabucayre/openFPGALoader
sudo apt install openfpgaloaderopenfpgaloader
nix profile install nixpkgs#openfpgaloaderopenfpgaloader 0.12.0-1
Universal utility for programming FPGAs
https://github.com/trabucayre/openFPGALoader
sudo apt install openfpgaloaderopenfpgaloader 0.11.0-r0
Universal utility for programming FPGAs
https://github.com/trabucayre/openFPGALoader
sudo apk add openfpgaloaderopenfpgaloader 1.1.1-1
Universal utility for programming FPGA
https://github.com/trabucayre/openFPGALoader
sudo pacman -S openfpgaloadersource trail
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View the package source record on GitHub.