deadfinder
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Description:
Finds broken links
Type: Formula  |  Latest Version: 1.9.1@1  |  Tracked Since: Dec 17, 2025
Links: Homepage  |  formulae.brew.sh
Category: Developer tools
Tags: link-checker seo web-development cli ruby
Install: brew install deadfinder
About:
DeadFinder is a command-line utility designed to scan websites and identify broken links (404 errors). It crawls specified URLs, checking each link for validity and reporting any that lead to dead ends. This tool helps developers and content managers maintain link integrity and improve user experience by quickly locating and fixing broken references.
Key Features:
  • Multi-threaded scanning for fast performance
  • Supports both single URLs and sitemaps
  • Detailed reporting of broken links and status codes
  • Configurable timeout and retry settings
Use Cases:
  • Pre-deployment checks to ensure no broken links are introduced
  • Periodic auditing of existing websites for link rot
  • SEO analysis to identify and fix 404 errors that harm rankings
Alternatives:
  • linkchecker – LinkChecker is a more established Python-based tool with extensive features, while DeadFinder (Ruby) offers a modern, fast alternative focused on core scanning functionality.
  • lychee – Lychee is a fast link checker written in Rust, offering similar performance goals but with a different language ecosystem and feature set.
Version History
Detected Version Rev Change Commit
Nov 3, 2025 8:25pm 0 VERSION_BUMP e4fe5b53
Sep 26, 2025 4:57am 0 VERSION_BUMP 9d72922e
Sep 18, 2025 7:56am 0 VERSION_BUMP 47b6cd40
Sep 15, 2025 5:42am 0 VERSION_BUMP e2a60a8b
Dec 28, 2024 10:20am 0 VERSION_BUMP 9ca7faac
Dec 28, 2024 7:55am 0 VERSION_BUMP 776c6c17
Dec 26, 2024 5:42pm 1 VERSION_BUMP 2a7c326c
Oct 8, 2024 4:51pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 4f80d9ce
Oct 8, 2024 3:29pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 28432db3
Sep 26, 2024 3:56pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 0eaa61bc
Sep 26, 2024 2:40pm 0 VERSION_BUMP ed677f50