freexl ☆

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Description:
Library to extract data from Excel .xls files

Type: Formula | Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Developer tools

Tags: excel library c data-extraction biff

Install: brew install freexl

About:
Freexl is a lightweight C library designed to read and extract data from Excel .xls files without requiring Microsoft Excel. It provides a simple API for developers to access cell values, worksheet names, and other spreadsheet metadata efficiently. This makes it ideal for integrating Excel data parsing into applications on resource-constrained systems.

Key Features:

Reads Excel .xls (BIFF) format files
Zero-dependency and lightweight design
Simple C API for easy integration
Cross-platform support

Use Cases:

Extracting data from legacy Excel reports in server applications
Migrating spreadsheet data to database systems
Embedded systems processing Excel inputs

Alternatives:

libxlsxwriter – Focuses on writing .xlsx files, not reading legacy .xls.
Apache POI – Java-based library with broader features but heavier footprint.

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 10, 2025 10:07pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	e29946fb
Sep 10, 2024 11:25am		0	VERSION_BUMP	45414043