harbour ☆

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Description:
Portable, xBase-compatible programming language and environment

Type: Formula | Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025

Links: Homepage | @harbour_lang | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Developer tools

Tags: programming-language xbase compiler database cross-platform

Install: brew install harbour

About:
Harbour is a modern, cross-platform implementation of the xBase language, commonly known as Clipper. It compiles xBase code into highly optimized C, which can then be compiled into native executables for Windows, Linux, macOS, and other platforms. Its main value is enabling the development of robust, high-performance business applications with rich GUIs while maintaining compatibility with legacy dBase and Clipper codebases.

Key Features:

Cross-platform compilation (Windows, Linux, macOS, BSD, etc.)
Extensive GUI support via multiple toolkits (GTK+, Windows API, Qt)
Highly optimizing compiler generating standard C code
Built-in database connectivity (RDD) for DBF, SQL, and more
Full C/C++ interoperability for extending functionality

Use Cases:

Maintaining and modernizing legacy Clipper/dBase business applications
Developing high-performance, native desktop database applications
Creating cross-platform command-line utilities and tools

Alternatives:

Clipper – The original commercial compiler; Harbour is its open-source, cross-platform successor.
Xbase++ – A commercial alternative focused on Windows and maintaining high compatibility with Clipper.

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 13, 2024 4:25pm		2	VERSION_BUMP	8aaad5aa