Project Summary
Libarchive is a programming library that can create and read several different streaming archive formats, including most popular tar variants, several cpio formats, and both BSD and GNU ar variants. It can also write shar archives and read ISO9660 CDROM images and ZIP archives. The bsdtar program is an implementation of tar(1) that is built on top of libarchive. It started as a test harness, but has grown into a feature-competitive replacement for GNU tar. The bsdcpio program is an implementation of cpio(1) that is built on top of libarchive.
In a Nutshell, libarchive...
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has a well established, mature codebase
maintained by a very large development team
with increasing Y-O-Y commits -
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took an estimated 50 years of effort (COCOMO model)
starting with its first commit in April, 2008
ending with its most recent commit about 20 hours ago
Quick Reference
BSD 3-clause "New" or "Revised" License
Permitted
Commercial Use
Modify
Distribute
Place Warranty
Forbidden
Hold Liable
Use Trademarks
Required
Include Copyright
Include License
These details are provided for information only. No information here is legal advice and should not be used as such.
Project Security
Vulnerabilities per Version ( last 10 releases )
Project Vulnerability Report
Security Confidence Index
Vulnerability Exposure Index
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use of OSS increased in 65% of companies in 2016
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30 Day SummaryJul 23 2026 — Aug 22 2026
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12 Month SummaryAug 22 2025 — Aug 22 2026
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