# create-dmg/create-dmg

A shell script to build fancy DMGs

Repository: https://github.com/create-dmg/create-dmg
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/create-dmg-create-dmg
Language: Shell
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: dmg, bash, macos
Last push: 2026-07-02T10:47:56+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 81/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 90, release rhythm 59, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 6567, "days_push": 62, "days_rel": 62, "gap_med": 226, "n_releases_24m": 2}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2618, forks 322 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:04.636408+00:00)

## What it is
A shell script that builds polished macOS DMG disk images with customizable backgrounds, icon layouts, and license files. It is a command-line tool installable via Homebrew.

## Use cases
- create a fancy dmg installer for my mac app
- build a disk image with a custom background and icon positions
- add an applications drop link to a dmg
- attach a eula license to a dmg
- make an encrypted dmg from a folder
- automate mac app distribution packaging in ci

## When to choose
- you distribute macOS apps and want attractive drag-to-Applications DMG installers
- you need a simple scriptable CLI for DMG creation without heavy dependencies
- you want to embed license agreements or encryption in your disk images

## When to avoid
- you need cross-platform packaging (this is macOS-only)
- you require a GUI builder for DMG layout
- you need signed/notarized installer packages like pkg rather than DMGs

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: cli, developer-tools, deployment
- domain: developer-tools, operating-systems
- platform: cli
- tags: dmg, bash, disk-image, app-packaging, shell-script, command-line, macos

## Member repositories
- create-dmg/create-dmg (main) score 81

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:04.636408+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:20:19.169810+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/create-dmg/create-dmg (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:04.636408+00:00, sha af03b2dc9dc7)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.