# Install alive2 with Homebrew, Nix Automatic verification of LLVM optimizations. Version 21.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:alive2 ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install alive2 ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#alive2 ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/al/alive2/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:alive2 - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 21.0 - **Source summary:** Automatic verification of LLVM optimizations - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-22T14:02:42-07:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - alive (cli) - alive-exec (cli) - alive-jobserver (cli) - alive-tv (cli) - quick-fuzz (cli) - alive (alias) - alive-exec (alias) - alive-jobserver (alias) - alive-tv (alias) - quick-fuzz (alias) ## Dependencies - hiredis - llvm - z3 - zstd ## Build dependencies - cmake - re2c ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 21.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-22 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/AliveToolkit/alive2 - info: No cached GitHub release or tag data was available. ## Project history and usage Alive2 is a toolkit for analyzing and verifying LLVM code and transformations, centered on translation validation for compiler optimizations. ### Project history The public Alive2 repository starts with an initial commit on 2018-06-09. Its README describes libraries for Alive2 IR, symbolic execution, LLVM-to-Alive2 IR conversion, refinement checking, and SMT abstraction, plus tools including an Alive drop-in replacement, alive-tv, alive-exec, and clang/opt translation-validation plugins. The project positions itself as the successor in spirit to Alive for LLVM optimization reasoning, but with a broader toolkit around real LLVM IR and translation validation. The README points to the PLDI 2021 Alive2 paper for the technical introduction. Alive2 tracks LLVM closely: its README says the latest Alive2 is intended to build against the latest LLVM main branch, and its later release tags use LLVM-version-like labels such as v19.0, v20.0, and v21.0. ### Adoption history Alive2 is used as an LLVM quality tool rather than a general application. The README says the maintainers run translation validation across LLVM IR-level transformation tests on LLVM main each day and publish results. The repository's BugList lists many LLVM and Z3 issues found by Alive2. The project also has an online alive-tv instance, letting compiler developers try translation validation without building the local toolchain. ### How it is used Package users usually run alive-tv on source and target LLVM IR, wrap opt through Alive2's translation-validation scripts, or compile through alivecc/alive++ to validate IR-level transformations performed by clang. alive-exec is documented as an experimental UB-precise LLVM function interpreter. The toolchain is intentionally low-level: it needs CMake, a C/C++ compiler, re2c, Z3, and often a matching LLVM build with RTTI and exceptions enabled. ### Why package nerds care Alive2 is notable in package-manager catalogs because it packages research-grade compiler verification as command-line tools. For LLVM-heavy users, installing alive-tv is a practical way to test optimizer correctness without assembling the whole research environment by hand. It also depends on the exact moving edge of LLVM, which makes it a good example of a package whose value is tied to keeping versions and build flags aligned with upstream compiler development. ### Timeline - 2018: Public Git history begins with an initial commit. - 2020: README example documents an LLVM release/10.x optimizer bug found by alive-tv. - 2021: PLDI 2021 paper published as the project's technical introduction. - 2024: v19.0 tag appears in the repository history. - 2025: v21.0 tag appears in the repository history. ### Related projects - LLVM: primary compiler IR and optimization target. - Z3: SMT solver dependency and one of the projects whose bugs are tracked in Alive2's BugList. - Alive: earlier optimization-verification tool referenced by Alive2's drop-in replacement. ### Sources - Alive2 PLDI 2021 paper linked from README: https://web.ist.utl.pt/nuno.lopes/pubs/alive2-pldi21.pdf - Git history from https://github.com/AliveToolkit/alive2.git - Official Alive2 BugList: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AliveToolkit/alive2/master/BugList.md - Official Alive2 README: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AliveToolkit/alive2/master/README.md ## Security Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. - **Geiger risk:** blue / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** alive2 - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 4 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - alive2: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/al/alive2/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [llvm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/llvm/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [z3](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/z3/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [zstd](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/zstd/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [cmake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cmake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [re2c](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/re2c/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [cbmc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cbmc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, verification. - [emscripten](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/emscripten/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compiler, developer-tools, llvm. - [pocl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pocl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compiler, developer-tools, llvm. - [aarch64-elf-gcc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aarch64-elf-gcc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compiler, developer-tools. - [adaptivecpp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/adaptivecpp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compiler, developer-tools. - [arm-none-eabi-gcc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/arm-none-eabi-gcc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compiler, developer-tools. - [asn1c](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/asn1c/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compiler, developer-tools. - [spirv-llvm-translator](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/spirv-llvm-translator/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, compiler, developer, developer-tools, llvm. - [clang-uml](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clang-uml/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: automatic, cli, developer, developer-tools, llvm. - [dafny](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dafny/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, verification, z3. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/alive2.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/alive2.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph