What it does
The FLAC command-line utility encodes and decodes supported PCM audio and tests or analyzes FLAC streams. Inputs and outputs include several WAV-family and AIFF representations.
Use Encode, Decode, Test or Analyze for the required operation. Inputs are 4–32-bit linear PCM in supported containers or explicitly interpreted raw samples. Compression presets 0–8 change encoding work and file size within the lossless model. Test writes no output; verify-on-encode decodes internally to compare against input.
Originals remain unless deletion is requested, and replacing existing output requires force. Re-encoding normally retains metadata, but tag options can replace existing tags. Preserving foreign WAVE/AIFF chunks is separate from translating them into FLAC tags. Reference libraries use BSD licensing; the conversion utilities use GPL.
Strengths
- Provides encoding, decoding, testing, and analysis in one focused utility.
Watch out for
- The documented input model is linear PCM rather than every encoded audio format.
Best for
- Scripted lossless audio conversion and validation
Sources
- FLAC - FLAC command line tool (Oct 26, 2026)
- FLAC - License (Oct 26, 2026)