cfitsio ☆

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Description:
C access to FITS data files with optional Fortran wrappers

Type: Formula | Latest Version: 4.6.3@0 | Tracked Since: Dec 17, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Other

Tags: astronomy fits scientific-computing data-format library

Install: brew install cfitsio

About:
CFITSIO is a library of C and Fortran functions for reading and writing data files in the Flexible Image Transport System (FITS) format. It provides a robust and portable API that abstracts the complexities of the FITS standard, allowing developers to easily access and manipulate header metadata and multi-dimensional data arrays. This library is the de facto standard for astronomical data processing, enabling interoperability across countless scientific tools and missions.

Key Features:

Comprehensive API for reading and writing FITS headers and data
Support for both primary arrays and multiple extensions within a single file
Handles byte-swapping and data type conversions automatically for portability
Includes optional Fortran wrappers for easy integration into legacy codebases

Use Cases:

Developing custom astronomical data analysis pipelines
Reading and writing FITS files from within Python, R, or other languages via bindings
Archiving and distributing scientific datasets in a standardized format

Alternatives:

astropy.io.fits – A Python-based alternative; CFITSIO is a lower-level C library often used as the backend for higher-level tools like Astropy.
fitsio – A Python wrapper for CFITSIO, offering similar functionality but with a focus on performance and a more direct mapping to the C library.

License: CFITSIO

Bottles available for: arm64_tahoe, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, sonoma, arm64_linux, x86_64_linux

Version History

Detected	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 30, 2025 10:41pm	0	VERSION_BUMP	771be296
Dec 15, 2024 5:08am	1	VERSION_BUMP	5d51b352
Dec 12, 2024 4:09am	0	VERSION_BUMP	3fd914c2
Nov 22, 2023 6:29pm	0	VERSION_BUMP	6366d475