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CLI Open source 13,318 installs/mo Trending 1.96×

cairo for Mac

Vector graphics library with cross-device output support

Quick answer: cairo is a design tool for macOS. Install it with brew install cairo. It is distributed under the LGPL-2.1-only OR MPL-1.1 licence. It has 13,318 Homebrew installs in the last 30 days.

What cairo is

cairo is a design tool for macOS: vector graphics library with cross-device output support.

It is distributed as a Homebrew formula, which builds or pours a binary and puts it on your PATH. It is distributed under the LGPL-2.1-only OR MPL-1.1 licence.

How to install cairo

  1. Open Terminal (press ⌘ + Space and type “Terminal”).
  2. If Homebrew is not installed yet, run the installer below once.
  3. Run brew install cairo.

Homebrew installer, if you need it:

Prefer a graphical installer? Download it from the official site. MacPicks never hosts or mirrors binaries — the Homebrew command always pulls from the vendor's own release.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I install cairo on Mac?

Run brew install cairo in Terminal. This requires Homebrew; if you do not have it, install it first with the command below.

Is cairo open source?

Yes — Homebrew distributes it under the LGPL-2.1-only OR MPL-1.1 licence.

Does cairo run on Apple silicon?

Homebrew publishes this formula for macOS. If upstream does not ship an Apple silicon build, Rosetta 2 handles the Intel binary.

How popular is cairo?

It was installed 13,318 times in the last 30 days according to Homebrew analytics, ranking #156 in this catalogue.

What version of cairo is current?

The latest packaged version is 1.18.6.