# Nerd Fonts — Iconic Patched Fonts for Developers

> Aggregator and patcher that bundles 3,600+ glyphs from Font Awesome, Devicons, Octicons and more into 50+ popular programming fonts.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# Nerd Fonts — Iconic Patched Fonts for Developers

## Quick Use
```bash
# Install via Homebrew
brew install --cask font-fira-code-nerd-font

# Or download and install manually
curl -fLo "FiraCode.zip" https://github.com/ryanoasis/nerd-fonts/releases/latest/download/FiraCode.zip
unzip FiraCode.zip -d ~/.local/share/fonts && fc-cache -fv
```

## Introduction
Nerd Fonts patches popular programming typefaces with a large set of glyphs (icons) sourced from projects like Font Awesome, Devicons, Octicons, and Powerline symbols. The result is a single font file that renders file-type icons, Git branch symbols, and status-line glyphs without requiring a separate icon font.

## What Nerd Fonts Does
- Patches 50+ font families (Fira Code, JetBrains Mono, Hack, Iosevka, etc.) with 3,600+ glyphs
- Provides a standalone patcher script so you can patch any TrueType or OpenType font yourself
- Ships pre-built releases for every patched family on GitHub Releases
- Supports ligatures when the base font supports them
- Includes a cheat-sheet web app for searching glyph code-points

## Architecture Overview
The project centres on a Python-based FontForge patcher that reads a source font, merges selected glyph sets from SVG source fonts, adjusts metrics, and writes a new patched font file. CI builds run the patcher against every supported family and publish the results as versioned zip archives.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Download individual families from the GitHub Releases page or use the install script
- On Linux, place font files in `~/.local/share/fonts` and run `fc-cache -fv`
- On macOS, double-click the `.ttf`/`.otf` file or use `brew install --cask font-<name>-nerd-font`
- Configure your terminal emulator to use the patched font family
- Pair with Starship, Powerlevel10k, or Oh My Posh for a glyph-rich shell prompt

## Key Features
- Covers virtually every popular monospace font used in development
- Glyph sets are curated from well-known icon projects for consistency
- The patcher can be run locally to patch proprietary or custom fonts
- Releases are fully automated and track upstream font updates
- Works across Linux, macOS, and Windows terminals and editors

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Powerline Fonts** — only Powerline glyphs; Nerd Fonts adds thousands more
- **Font Awesome** — web-focused icon font; not merged into monospace coding fonts
- **Codicons** — VS Code's built-in icon font; limited to the editor
- **Cascadia Code** — Microsoft's coding font with Powerline variant but fewer glyphs

## FAQ
**Q: Do patched fonts break ligatures?**
A: No. The patcher preserves the original font's ligature tables.

**Q: Can I patch a font I purchased?**
A: The patcher works on any TTF/OTF file. Redistribution is subject to the font's licence.

**Q: How large are the patched font files?**
A: Typically 2-5 MB per weight, depending on the number of glyph sets included.

**Q: Which terminals support Nerd Fonts?**
A: Any terminal that lets you set a custom font: iTerm2, Alacritty, Kitty, WezTerm, Windows Terminal, GNOME Terminal, and more.

## Sources
- https://github.com/ryanoasis/nerd-fonts
- https://www.nerdfonts.com

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-35bd14b2
Author: Script Depot