cvdupdate
ClamAV Private Database Mirror Updater Tool
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. If you operate a ClamAV deployment with multiple clients or restricted external network access, this tool is the standard way to host your own database mirror. It's actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, installs with low friction, and carries a permissive license. Not relevant for single-machine ClamAV setups that can reach the public servers directly.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.6 or newer and an internet connection with DNS enabled.
- Low friction: pure Python wheel with seven common dependencies (click, colorlog, colorama, requests, dnspython, rangehttpserver, packaging).
- Active maintenance with recent commits and no known vulnerabilities.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Apache 2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for enterprise deployment.
last release 2025-10-03 (315 days) · last repo commit 2026-06-05 · 118 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 959,401 downloads/mo, #4,638 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install cvdupdate
cvd config set --dbdir /path/to/databases
cvd update
cvd serve- Whether the tool handles network interruptions gracefully during large database downloads.
- Performance characteristics when serving databases to many concurrent FreshClam clients.
- Whether custom database directory permissions are automatically managed.
What it is and what it does
cvdupdate is a command-line tool that automates downloading ClamAV virus definition databases and their associated CDIFF patch files from Cisco's official servers, replacing an older Perl script. It's designed to let you run your own private ClamAV database mirror on your network, which you can then serve to local FreshClam clients via HTTP instead of having every machine download directly from the public servers.
The tool uses DNS queries to check for new database versions before downloading, so repeated runs don't waste bandwidth. It stores databases and patches locally (by default in ~/.cvdupdate), rotates old patch files and logs automatically, and includes a built-in test HTTP server for quick validation. You can customize the database directory, nameserver, and logging behavior via a JSON config file, and integrate it into cron jobs or other automation for hands-off updates.
Use it for
- Set up a private ClamAV mirror on an internal network to reduce external bandwidth and centralize antivirus updates.
- Automate daily or hourly database updates via cron, keeping your local mirror synchronized with Cisco's latest definitions.
- Serve ClamAV databases to multiple FreshClam clients on your network from a single local HTTP endpoint.
- Test database mirror configuration locally using the built-in test server before deploying to production.
- Maintain an offline copy of ClamAV databases for air-gapped or restricted-network environments.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
If you operate a ClamAV deployment with multiple clients or restricted external network access, this tool is the standard way to host your own database mirror. It's actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, installs with low friction, and carries a permissive license. Not relevant for single-machine ClamAV setups that can reach the public servers directly.
Install
cvdupdate on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction: pure Python wheel with seven common dependencies (click, colorlog, colorama, requests, dnspython, rangehttpserver, packaging). Active maintenance with recent commits and no known vulnerabilities.
Requires Python 3.6 or newer and an internet connection with DNS enabled.
License in practice
Apache 2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for enterprise deployment.
Quickstart
pip install cvdupdate
cvd config set --dbdir /path/to/databases
cvd update
cvd serveVerify before relying
- Whether the tool handles network interruptions gracefully during large database downloads.
- Performance characteristics when serving databases to many concurrent FreshClam clients.
- Whether custom database directory permissions are automatically managed.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 7 packagesclickcolorlogcoloramarequestsdnspythonrangehttpserverpackaging |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 315 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 959,401 / month, #4,638 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | License :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3 |
Evidence: cvdupdate-1.2.0-py3-none-any.whl
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