# Install autoconf with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper Automatic configure script builder. Version 2.73 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-13. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:autoconf ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install autoconf ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install autoconf ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: devel/autoconf/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add autoconf ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: autoconf from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install autoconf ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: autoconf from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install autoconf ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: autoconf from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#autoconf ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: autoconf from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S autoconf ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: autoconf from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/core/os/x86_64/core.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install autoconf ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: autoconf from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:autoconf - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.73 - **Source summary:** Automatic configure script builder - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later AND (GPL-3.0-or-later WITH Autoconf-exception-3.0) - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-13T01:02:59+02:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - autoconf (cli) - autoheader (cli) - autom4te (cli) - autoreconf (cli) - autoscan (cli) - autoupdate (cli) - ifnames (cli) - autoconf (alias) - autoheader (alias) - autom4te (alias) - autoreconf (alias) - autoscan (alias) - autoupdate (alias) - ifnames (alias) ## Dependencies - m4 ## Uses from macOS - perl ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sequoia, sonoma, tahoe, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 2.73 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-13 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/ - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage GNU Autoconf is one of the central tools of the GNU build system: it generates portable configure shell scripts from configure.ac input so source packages can adapt themselves to Unix-like systems. ### Project history The Autoconf manual's history chapter, written by original author David MacKenzie, traces the project to June 1991, when MacKenzie was maintaining GNU utilities and wrote a shell script to guess build settings for fileutils rather than forcing users to choose many makefile -D options by hand. After adapting similar scripts for other GNU packages and receiving requests for a generator, MacKenzie began turning the hand-maintained configure scripts into Autoconf. The AUTHORS file credits MacKenzie as the original author with help from François Pinard, Karl Berry, Richard Pixley, Ian Lance Taylor, Roland McGrath, Noah Friedman and many others. Autoconf became a pillar of the broader GNU build system with Automake and Libtool. Its generated configure scripts are intentionally independent of Autoconf at run time, which made it especially attractive for source tarballs distributed to users who might not have the full build toolchain installed. ### Adoption history Autoconf spread through GNU and portable Unix software because it solved the painful problem of discovering headers, functions, compilers, libraries, filesystem quirks and platform behavior at build time. The manual notes that generated configure scripts test individual features rather than relying on static tables of operating-system variants. Its adoption history is also visible in package-manager coverage: the input facts list Autoconf across Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora/dnf, Arch/pacman, Alpine/apk, MacPorts, Nix and openSUSE/zypper. For decades, ./configure && make && make install has been a cultural baseline of Unix source distribution, and Autoconf is the tool most associated with generating that first step. ### How it is used Package maintainers write configure.ac and run autoconf to produce a configure script. Depending on the package, related files may include aclocal.m4, acsite.m4, config.h.in, Makefile.in, config.status, config.cache and config.log. End users usually do not run autoconf directly; they run the generated configure script from a release tarball. Developers and distribution maintainers use autoreconf, autoheader, autoscan, autoupdate and autom4te when regenerating or modernizing build machinery. ### Why package nerds care Autoconf matters to package nerds because it is both infrastructure and folklore. It explains why so many source packages have configure.ac in git but ship a generated configure script in release tarballs, and why package builds often patch m4 macros or rerun autoreconf after applying downstream changes. It also embodies the portability contract between upstream tarballs and downstream packagers: generated scripts should run with only a POSIX-like shell, while maintainers absorb the complexity of M4, feature probes and macro compatibility. ### Timeline - 1991: David MacKenzie writes early configure scripts for GNU utilities and begins the path toward Autoconf. - 1990s: Autoconf becomes part of the GNU build-system toolchain alongside Automake and Libtool. - 2000: GNU Autoconf, Automake and Libtool is published, documenting the combined build environment. - 2023: Autoconf 2.72 is released on 2023-12-22 with C23/Y2038-related updates and modernized requirements. ### Related projects - Autoconf is normally discussed with Automake, Libtool, Gnulib and the Autoconf Archive. - The manual contrasts Autoconf's feature-test approach with table-driven configure systems and hand-written configure scripts. ### Sources - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Unix: configure.ac ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** autoconf - **Aliases:** autoconf@2.73 - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - autoconf - 2.72-3.1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: autoconf from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | automatic configure script builder | https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/ - Debian apt - autoconf-doc - 2.72-3.1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: autoconf-doc from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | automatic configure script builder documentation | https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/ - Nix - autoconf: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: autoconf from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix - Ubuntu apt - autoconf - 2.71-3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: autoconf from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | automatic configure script builder | https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/ - Ubuntu apt - autoconf-doc - 2.71-3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: autoconf-doc from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | automatic configure script builder documentation | https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/ - apk - autoconf - 2.73-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: autoconf from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | GNU tool for automatically configuring source code | https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf - apk - autoconf-doc - 2.73-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: autoconf-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | GNU tool for automatically configuring source code (documentation) | https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf - dnf - autoconf - 2.73-3.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: autoconf from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | A GNU tool for automatically configuring source code | https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/ - pacman - autoconf - 2.73-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: autoconf from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/core/os/x86_64/core.db.tar.gz | A GNU tool for automatically configuring source code | https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf - zypper - autoconf - 2.73-1.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: autoconf from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | A GNU Tool for Automatically Configuring Source Code | https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf - MacPorts - autoconf: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: devel/autoconf/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - apk - autoscan - 1.4.0-r21: installed executable or alias match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: autoscan from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Autoscan replaces the default Plex and Emby behaviour for picking up changes on the file system. | https://github.com/Cloudbox/autoscan - apk - autoscan-openrc - 1.4.0-r21: installed executable or alias match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: autoscan-openrc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Autoscan replaces the default Plex and Emby behaviour for picking up changes on the file system. (OpenRC init scripts) | https://github.com/Cloudbox/autoscan ## Related links - [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. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [m4](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/m4/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [automake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/automake/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [crosstool-ng](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/crosstool-ng/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [node-build](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/node-build/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [php](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/php/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [php@8.1](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/php-8-1/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [php@8.2](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/php-8-2/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [php@8.3](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/php-8-3/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [arm-linux-gnueabihf-binutils](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/arm-linux-gnueabihf-binutils/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, gnu. - [arm-none-eabi-binutils](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/arm-none-eabi-binutils/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, gnu. - [autogen](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/autogen/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, gnu. - [bam](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bam/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools. - [binutils](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/binutils/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, gnu. - [bison](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bison/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, gnu. - [bmake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bmake/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools. - [groff](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/groff/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, gnu, system. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/autoconf.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/autoconf.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - 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