macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install stellalocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 6924
Install stella with Homebrew, apt, Nix, pacman, winget
Atari 2600 VCS emulator. Version 7.0c via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-18. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install stella.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install stellaDebian stable package indexes · stella · source: deb.debian.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#stellanixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/st/stella/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S stellaArch Linux sync databases · stella · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
Windows
Windows Package Managerverified · 92%
winget install --id TheStellaTeam.Stella -eWindows Package Manager source index · TheStellaTeam.Stella · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com
overview
Package summary
Atari 2600 VCS emulator
Project links
Commands and aliases
- stella
history
Project history and usage
Stella is a long-running multi-platform Atari 2600 VCS emulator. Although it is primarily a desktop emulator, it matters in package-manager culture because it is a portable open-source retrocomputing application with command-line use, documented per-platform data files, and broad distribution across Unix, macOS, and Windows package channels.
Project history
The official manual says Bradford W. Mott started developing Stella in fall 1995 and that Stephen Anthony has maintained the project since around 2004. The official site describes Stella as a freely distributed Atari 2600 VCS emulator originally developed for Linux and now maintained by Stephen Anthony.
The project has grown from a Linux emulator into a multi-platform application. The official manual describes it as portable across systems using SDL, 64-bit and endian clean on Linux/Unix, macOS, and Windows, and the GitHub repository was created in October 2016 to host the modern source and release workflow.
Adoption history
The input package metadata lists Stella in Homebrew, Debian, Nix, Arch, Ubuntu, and WinGet. That breadth fits the project history: Stella is both a retro-gaming application and a long-lived open-source emulator that downstream package managers can ship for desktop users.
The official downloads page provides platform-specific binaries and source archives, while the manual documents both graphical operation and command-line invocation with `stella [options ...] ROM_FILENAME`.
How it is used
Common usage is to launch Stella with an Atari 2600 ROM image through its ROM launcher or from the command line. Its user data is stored in a `stella.sqlite3` database at platform-specific locations, and command-line options can override settings stored in that database.
Why package nerds care
Package nerds care about Stella because it represents the classic emulator packaging problem: a GUI application that also has command-line behavior, per-platform support files, and long-running upstream releases. It is a useful test of how well package managers handle desktop apps, documentation, data directories, and legal boundaries around ROM files.
Its age also matters. A project that began in the 1990s and still ships releases through modern package systems shows how retrocomputing software can survive multiple build systems, operating-system transitions, and distribution channels.
Timeline
- 1995: Bradford W. Mott started developing Stella.
- 1999: Official manual dates its user guide history from February 1999.
- 2004: Stephen Anthony became maintainer around this period.
- 2016: Modern GitHub repository created.
- 2026: Official manual identifies Release 8.0.
Related projects
- Stella is related to Atari 2600 emulation, SDL-based portable desktop software, and retrocomputing package collections.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
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
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Linux
~/.config/stella/stella.sqlite3- macOS
~/Library/Application Support/Stella/stella.sqlite3- Windows
%APPDATA%\stella\stella.sqlite3
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
stella | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
freshness
Version and 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.
page generated2026-08-03
manager version7.0c
manager updated2026-06-18
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:stella |
|---|---|
| Version | 7.0c |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://stella-emu.github.io/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/stella-emu/stella |
| Last updated | 2026-06-18T02:29:02-04:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
stella 7.0+dfsg-2
Atari 2600 Emulator for SDL & the X Window System
sudo apt install stella- Section: otherosfs
- Architecture: amd64
- 7 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Stella
Nix95%
stella
nix profile install nixpkgs#stella- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Stella
Ubuntu apt95%
stella 6.7.1+dfsg-1build2
Atari 2600 Emulator for SDL & the X Window System
sudo apt install stella- Section: universe/otherosfs
- Architecture: amd64
- 7 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Stella
pacman95%
stella 7.0-1
Atari 2600 VCS emulator
sudo pacman -S stella- License: GPL2
- Architecture: x86_64
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Stella
winget95%
TheStellaTeam.Stella
winget install --id TheStellaTeam.Stella -e- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Stella
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation