# Install verapdf with Homebrew, Nix Open-source industry-supported PDF/A validation. Version 1.30.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-03. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#verapdf. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:verapdf ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install verapdf ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#verapdf ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ve/verapdf/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:verapdf - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Version:** 1.30.2 - **Source summary:** Open-source industry-supported PDF/A validation - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-03T13:58:30Z - **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00 ## Executables - verapdf (alias) - verapdf-gui (alias) ## Install behavior - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-03 - Package-manager version: 1.30.2 ## Project history and usage veraPDF is an open-source, industry-supported validator for PDF/A and related PDF conformance work. It is used by archives, memory institutions, preservation workflows, vendors, and automated pipelines that need machine-readable evidence that PDF files conform to long-term preservation standards. ### Project history The veraPDF consortium was led by the Open Preservation Foundation and the PDF Association to produce a validator accepted by the PDF technology industry. The project grew out of the EU-funded PREFORMA procurement program, which pushed for open, transparent conformance checking for preservation file formats. A first public prototype appeared in 2015 as a proof of concept rather than a complete validator. Version 1.0 was released in January 2017, validating all parts and conformance levels of ISO 19005 PDF/A and beginning the next PREFORMA testing and acceptance phase. After PREFORMA funding ended in 2017, veraPDF moved into long-term stewardship by the Open Preservation Foundation, with Dual Lab providing active maintenance and user support. That maintenance model is a major part of the project's significance: PDF/A validation needs continuity because archives preserve documents for decades. ### Adoption history veraPDF became a reference tool in digital preservation because it addressed a gap: institutions needed an open validator whose rules could be inspected, discussed, and aligned with PDF Association technical working-group decisions. The Library of Congress and digital-preservation tool catalogs describe it as a tool and library for validating PDF/A against ISO 19005 parts and profiles. Its audience includes memory institutions, digital repositories, vendors, and batch-processing workflows. Unlike GUI-only PDF tools, veraPDF's CLI and machine-readable reports make it usable in ingest pipelines, repository QA, and continuous validation jobs. ### How it is used The Homebrew package exposes `verapdf` for command-line validation and `verapdf-gui` for interactive use. CLI users run it over one or many PDFs, choose report formats such as XML, JSON, HTML, text, or raw output, and use flavor/profile options to select the conformance target. Beyond PDF/A validation, veraPDF includes feature extraction and a policy checker. Institutions can express local policy checks over PDF features, which lets the tool support preservation QA decisions that go beyond a strict pass/fail reading of the PDF/A standard. ### Why package nerds care veraPDF is package-manager significant because it turns a standards and preservation problem into a reproducible local command. That is exactly what archivists, CI pipelines, and repository operators need when validation must be repeatable and auditable. ### Timeline - 2014-2015: veraPDF is initiated through PREFORMA-backed open-source preservation work. - July 2015: The first public prototype is released. - January 2017: veraPDF 1.0 ships with coverage for PDF/A parts and conformance levels. - 2017 onward: OPF sustains and maintains the project after PREFORMA funding ends. - 2020s: veraPDF continues as part of OPF's reference toolset and expands maintenance releases for validation, policy checking, and CLI workflows. ### Related projects - veraPDF is related to PDFBox Preflight, Adobe Acrobat Preflight, JHOVE, DROID, Siegfried, and other digital-preservation validation tools. Its distinctive role is open, industry-backed PDF/A validation tied closely to PDF standards work. ### 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: /config, ~/verapdf/config ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - verapdf: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ve/verapdf/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Nix - verapdf-gui: installed executable or alias match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ve/verapdf-gui/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/verapdf.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/verapdf.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