sheenbidi ☆

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Description:
Fast and stable implementation of the Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm

Type: Formula | Tracked Since: Feb 6, 2026

Links: Homepage | GitHub | formulae.brew.sh

Stars: 178 | Forks: 26 | Language: C | Category: Developer tools

Tags: unicode bidi text-rendering right-to-left localization

Install: brew install sheenbidi

About:
Sheenbidi is a high-performance, standards-compliant library implementing the Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm (UBA). It enables correct text layout for mixed right-to-left (RTL) and left-to-right (LTR) scripts, such as Arabic, Hebrew, and English. Its primary value is providing a reliable, embeddable solution for applications requiring complex text rendering without the overhead of larger internationalization libraries.

Key Features:

Fully compliant with the Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm standard
Optimized for high performance and low memory usage
Designed for stability and predictability in text layout
Lightweight and easily embeddable in various projects
Written in portable C for broad compatibility

Use Cases:

Rendering text in user interfaces that support RTL languages like Arabic or Hebrew
Processing and displaying mixed-direction text in document editors or publishing software
Integrating bidirectional text support into custom text layout engines or game engines

Alternatives:

ICU (International Components for Unicode) – ICU is a much larger, full-featured internationalization library; Sheenbidi is a focused, lightweight alternative specifically for the Bidi algorithm.
fribidi – Another implementation of the Unicode Bidi algorithm; Sheenbidi positions itself as a faster and more stable alternative.

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Feb 6, 2026 10:30pm		0	META	52c79ff8