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SPECIFICTION
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agedu

chiark.greenend.org.uk

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Spec score 8.0 #50 of 105 in Disk Space Analyzers

What it is

agedu is a free, MIT-licensed Unix utility that scans directory trees and relates disk usage to file access times. It helps locate large data that has gone unused, but it cannot decide whether a file is safe to delete. It produces text and HTML reports, or can serve navigable HTML reports through a small built-in web server. In HTML reports, colours distinguish disused data in red from recently accessed data in green. Text reports can be limited to files not accessed within a chosen age, such as six months. Scan settings can cross filesystem boundaries and include, exclude, or prune files and directories. Results can be written as text on one machine and loaded into an index on another, including across different CPU architectures. Index files use restrictive permissions because they may reveal confidential filesystem information. By default, the built-in server uses Linux user-based access checks or HTTP Basic authentication with an invented password when those checks are unavailable. CGI mode has no access control of its own. There is no native Windows port, though a separate Windows scan utility can create a dump for loading into agedu on Unix.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Scans a directory tree and correlates disk usage with file last-access times to help identify large, disused data.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Desktop platforms
Linux; web browser for HTML reportsRead 23 Sep 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Free plan
YesRead 23 Sep 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Security
Index files are created with restrictive permissions because they may reveal confidential information about the scanned filesystem.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
License
agedu is distributed under the MIT licence and is free to copy, redistribute, use, and reuse.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Age filtering
Text reports can show only files that have not been accessed for a chosen age, such as six months.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Application sizes
NoRead 23 Sep 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Custom scans
Scan options can cross filesystem boundaries and include, exclude, or prune files and directories.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Data transfer
Scan results can be dumped as text on one machine and loaded into an index on another, including across differing CPU architectures.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Exportable reports
YesRead 23 Sep 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
File-type breakdown
NoRead 23 Sep 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Limit
agedu identifies promising places to investigate but cannot determine whether data is truly safe to delete.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Reports
Generates text and HTML reports, or serves navigable HTML reports through a miniature web server.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Scan scope
files_foldersRead 23 Sep 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Security limitation
CGI mode performs no access control and leaves restricting access to the web server.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Status and support
The maker says it has had a small amount of beta testing, invites bug reports by email, and welcomes patches.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Treemap view
NoRead 23 Sep 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Visualisation
HTML reports use colours from red for disused data to green for recently accessed data.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Web access control
The built-in web server defaults to Linux user-based access checks or HTTP Basic authentication with an invented password when those checks are unavailable.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk
Windows support
agedu has no native Windows port; a separate Windows scan utility can create a dump for loading into agedu on a Unix machine.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk

Plans and prices

agedu Free MIT-licensed Unix utility; source archive available Read 7 Oct 2026 · chiark.greenend.org.uk

Every agedu plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Correlates disk usage with file access times.
  • Creates text and navigable HTML reports.
  • Text reports can filter by access age.
  • Scan results can move between different CPU architectures.
  • Free to copy, redistribute, use, and reuse under MIT.

Limits

  • No native Windows port.
  • CGI mode provides no access control.
  • Cannot determine whether data is safe to delete.
  • Only a small amount of beta testing is reported.

Who it suits

agedu suits Unix users who want to find large, old data through text or browser-viewable reports. It can help identify places to investigate, but users must decide whether files can be removed safely.

Verdict

agedu offers flexible scans and reports for finding potentially disused data, with options to transfer results between machines. Its web access controls differ by mode, and cleanup decisions remain with the user.

Where Specifiction places it

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