GNU RCS

Open source

What the maker publishes

Binary files

RCS can handle binary files, although functionality is reduced for them. source

Commands

A normal installation includes ci, co, ident, merge, rcs, rcsclean, rcsdiff, rcsmerge, and rlog. source

Comparison engine

RCS uses GNU Diffutils to find differences between versions. source

Concurrency limit

RCS works with versions stored on a single filesystem or machine and edited by one person at a time. source

Development

The project describes GNU RCS development as a volunteer effort and points to Savannah for development sources and issue trackers. source

Documentation

The GNU RCS manual is available online in multiple formats, including HTML, ASCII text, and PDF. source

History storage

RCS stores a full copy of the most recent version and reverse differences called deltas for earlier versions. source

License

GNU RCS is free software under the GNU General Public License, version 3 or, at the user's option, any later version. source

Purpose

GNU RCS manages multiple revisions of files and automates storing, retrieving, logging, identifying, and merging revisions. source

Release

The project page lists version 5.10.1, released on 2022-02-02, as its latest release. source

Security reports

The project says security reports that should not be made public immediately can be sent directly to the maintainer. source

Support

The project lists bug-rcs for bug reports and help-rcs for feature requests and user support. source

Use cases

The project describes RCS as useful for frequently revised text such as source code, programs, documentation, graphics, papers, and form letters. source

Checked against the maker's pages on 11 Oct 2026.