macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install abnfgenlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install abnfgen with Homebrew, apk
Quickly generate random documents that match an ABFN grammar. Version 0.21 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-26.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add abnfgenAlpine Linux edge package indexes · abnfgen · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
overview
Package summary
Quickly generate random documents that match an ABFN grammar
Project links
Commands and aliases
- abnfgen
history
Project history and usage
abnfgen is a small Unix-style command-line generator that reads ABNF grammars and produces random documents matching those grammars for parser and protocol testing.
Project history
The official page presents abnfgen as an alpha tool, copyrighted but free for any use, with version 0.21 offered as the current tarball release. Its bundled manual page is dated 4 March 2002, reflecting the tool's long-standing role in ABNF test-case generation.
Adoption history
The official distribution is a source tarball that requires a C compiler and a Unix-like environment. The input package facts show that Homebrew and Alpine package it, which fits its niche as a compact test-data generator used from shell scripts and packaging systems.
How it is used
abnfgen takes one or more grammar files and generates text from the selected start symbol. Its options include coverage-oriented generation, deterministic random seeds, output file counts, recursion depth limits, tentative definitions, and strict modes for rejecting extensions beyond the referenced ABNF syntax.
Why package nerds care
Package maintainers care about abnfgen because it is a focused C utility with no documented runtime service or credentials, and it solves a practical standards-testing problem: generating concrete examples from ABNF grammars commonly used in RFCs and protocol specifications.
Timeline
- 2002: Official manual page date for abnfgen(1).
- 2026: Official page lists abnfgen 0.21 as the current version.
Related projects
- The official page and manual connect abnfgen to ABNF as used in RFC 4234-era Internet standards grammar descriptions and mention RFC 7405 string-literal handling.
Sources
- Official quut.com abnfgen(1) manual: options, grammar behavior, and 4 March 2002 manpage date.
- Official quut.com project page: purpose, use cases, alpha status, current tarball, Unix-like build requirement.
- input source_facts.package-manager: Homebrew and Alpine package names.
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 12 platform targets.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
abnfgen | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version0.21
manager updated2026-05-26
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.quut.com/abnfgen/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:abnfgen |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.21 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/abnfgen |
| Homepage | https://www.quut.com/abnfgen/ |
| Upstream docs | https://www.quut.com/abnfgen |
| License | LicenseRef-Homebrew-cannot-represent |
| Source archive | https://www.quut.com/abnfgen/abnfgen-0.21.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-05-26T23:37:46-04:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | abnfgen |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
apk95%
abnfgen 0.21-r0
ABNF-grammar test case generator
sudo apk add abnfgen- License: custom
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: abnfgen
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Abnfgen
apk95%
abnfgen-doc 0.21-r0
ABNF-grammar test case generator (documentation)
sudo apk add abnfgen-doc- License: custom
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: abnfgen
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Abnfgen
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment