NonGNU ELPA
NonGNU ELPA is a free package archive for GNU Emacs, providing third-party packages whose copyright has not been assigned to the Free Software Foundation.
What NonGNU ELPA is
NonGNU ELPA is a free package archive for GNU Emacs, providing third-party packages whose copyright has not been assigned to the Free Software Foundation. Its catalogue covers editing, themes, programming-language support, and development tools, with entries showing package versions, descriptions, ranks, and release dates. Users can browse the archive online or use Emacs’s `M-x list-packages`, then install packages with `M-x package-install`. The archive is one of GNU Emacs’s two default package archives and is enabled by default in Emacs 28 and later; earlier versions can add `https://elpa.nongnu.org/nongnu/` to their configuration. Examples include Magit, Flycheck, Markdown tools, multiple-cursor utilities, and integrations for services such as Docker and Mastodon. Documentation describes signature checks with public keys, and the site links to help, inquiries, and contribution guidance.
Good
- Free package archive
- Broad Emacs package selection
- Built into Emacs 28 and later
- Online and in-Emacs browsing
- Signature verification guidance
Watch out
- No free trial
- Older Emacs needs manual archive setup
Who it suits
It is for GNU Emacs users who want free extensions for editing, development, themes, and integrations. Users on older Emacs versions need to add the archive URL themselves.
Verdict
NonGNU ELPA gives Emacs users a broad, free source of third-party packages. Its default availability in newer Emacs versions and command-line browsing make package discovery straightforward.
The facts
Each one read from NonGNU ELPA's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Archive URL
- The package archive URL is `https://elpa.nongnu.org/nongnu/`.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Audience
- The archive is for GNU Emacs users who want to browse and install packages that extend Emacs.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Browse packages
- The archive’s package list can be browsed on the site or through Emacs’s `M-x list-packages` command.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Contributing
- The site links to information about contributing a new package.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Default archive
- The page describes NonGNU ELPA as one of GNU Emacs’s two default package archives.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Developer tools
- The index includes development tools such as Flycheck for on-the-fly syntax checking and Magit, described as a Git porcelain inside Emacs.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Editing features
- Listed packages include tools for Markdown editing, multiple cursors, and interactively editing multiple regions.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Example package
- Magit is listed as a text-based Git interface that streamlines Git workflows inside Emacs.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Help
- The site suggests the help-gnu-emacs mailing list for help and the emacs-devel mailing list for general inquiries.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Install packages
- Packages can be installed from Emacs with `M-x package-install` or browsed with `M-x list-packages`.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The archive lists packages that connect Emacs with other tools and services, including Dockerfile mode, a Mastodon API client, and an rTorrent frontend.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Package browsing
- Users can browse the available packages on the NonGNU ELPA Packages page.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Package dependency
- Package pages may list dependencies; for example, the `with-editor` page lists `compat` and `cond-let`.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Package metadata
- The index displays each listed package’s version, description, rank, and release date.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Package range
- The index lists packages for editing languages and formats including AsciiDoc, Apache configuration, Clojure, and Go.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Package signing
- Package archive documentation describes cryptographic signatures as a way to verify packages using a public key.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Package variety
- The archive includes packages for tasks such as editing, themes, and programming language support.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Product
- NonGNU ELPA is a package repository for GNU Emacs.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- NonGNU ELPA is an Emacs Lisp package archive for extending GNU Emacs.checked 8 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Emacs versions
- NonGNU ELPA is available by default in Emacs 28 and later; users of earlier versions can add its archive URL to their configuration.checked 4 Oct 2026
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