Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install bats-core with Homebrew, apk, MacPorts, pacman, apt, dnf, Nix, zypper

Bash Automated Testing System. Version 1.13.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install bats-core

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install bats-core

MacPorts ports tree · sysutils/bats-core/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add bats-core

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · bats-core · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S bats

Arch Linux sync databases · bats · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install bats

Debian stable package indexes · bats · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install bats

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · bats · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#bats

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ba/bats/package.nix · source: api.github.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install bats

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · bats · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

Bash Automated Testing System

Commands and aliases

  • bats

history

Project history and usage

bats-core is the community-maintained continuation of Bats, the Bash Automated Testing System: a TAP-compliant testing framework where test files are Bash scripts and each test case runs normal shell commands.

Project history

The original Bats project dates to Sam Stephenson's 2011-2016 copyright era. The current README says bats-core was forked from the original Bats repository on Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at commit 0360811 after development had stalled and write access to the original repository could not be obtained.

bats-core released Bats 1.0.0 on June 8, 2018. That release emphasized compatibility with 0.4.0 while adding Bash compatibility work, Docker support, better Windows and macOS stability, TAP fixes, and major performance improvements.

The original Bats repository was archived read-only by its owner as of April 29, 2021, and the bats-core README identifies bats-core as the community-maintained Bats project.

Adoption history

Bats-core is widely packaged as the practical shell-testing tool for Unix projects. The input metadata lists apk, Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, Ubuntu, and zypper packages, while the upstream README points users to GitHub issues, tested pull requests, examples of projects using Bats, and Read the Docs documentation.

The repository page showed about 6.1k stars, roughly 2,004 commits, and 24 releases at enrichment time, with v1.13.0 shown as the latest release on November 7, 2025.

How it is used

A Bats test file is a Bash script with special syntax for test cases. Under the hood, each test is a function with a description, and ordinary shell commands become assertions through exit status and Bash errexit behavior.

Bats is most useful for testing Bash software, but the README explicitly notes it can test any Unix program. That makes it popular for CLI packages, install scripts, dotfiles, shell libraries, and smoke tests around command-line behavior.

Why package nerds care

bats-core is one of the package-nerd standards for testing shell-facing software because it sits exactly where many package bugs happen: command names, exit statuses, stdout/stderr, file effects, and portable shell behavior.

Its history also matters culturally. It shows a successful community-maintained fork preserving a small but widely depended-on developer tool when the original repository stalled, while keeping compatibility with existing Bats tests.

Because it emits TAP and uses shell syntax, bats-core fits neatly into old and new CI systems, distro packaging tests, and language-agnostic build pipelines without demanding a heavier test framework.

Timeline

  • 2011-2016: Original Bats copyright period credited to Sam Stephenson.
  • 2017: bats-core fork created from original Bats on September 19.
  • 2018: Bats 1.0.0 released on June 8 with compatibility, Docker, stability, and performance improvements.
  • 2021: Original Bats repository archived read-only on April 29.
  • 2025: Repository page lists v1.13.0 as latest release on November 7.

Related projects

  • sstephenson/bats is the original Bats repository.
  • The bats-core ecosystem includes helper libraries such as bats-support, bats-assert, bats-file, and bats-detik.
  • TAP is the output protocol family that makes Bats results easy to consume in broader test tooling.

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 1 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

CommandKindExposureNote
batscliglobal 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 version1.13.0
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv1.13.0

https://github.com/bats-core/bats-core

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:bats-core
Version1.13.0
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/bats-core
Homepagehttps://github.com/bats-core/bats-core
Repositoryhttps://github.com/bats-core/bats-core
Upstream docshttps://bats-core.readthedocs.io/en/stable
LicenseMIT
Source archivehttps://github.com/bats-core/bats-core/archive/refs/tags/v1.13.0.tar.gz
Bottleavailable (on all)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namebats-core
Aliases
  • bats
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • stable

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%

bats-core 1.13.0-r0

Bash Automated Testing System

https://github.com/bats-core/bats-core

sudo apk add bats-core
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: bats-core
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Bats Core
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: bats-core from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

bats-core-doc 1.13.0-r0

Bash Automated Testing System (documentation)

https://github.com/bats-core/bats-core

sudo apk add bats-core-doc
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: bats-core
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Bats Core
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: bats-core-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
pacman95%

bats 1.13.0-1

Bash Automated Testing System

https://github.com/bats-core/bats-core

sudo pacman -S bats
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: any
  • 4 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Bats Core
Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: bats from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz
MacPorts95%

bats-core

sudo port install bats-core
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Bats Core
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/bats-core/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Debian apt92%

bats 1.11.1-1

bash automated testing system

https://github.com/bats-core/bats-core

sudo apt install bats
  • Section: devel
  • Architecture: all
  • 1 optional deps
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Bats
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: bats from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix92%

bats

nix profile install nixpkgs#bats
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Bats
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ba/bats/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Ubuntu apt92%

bats 1.10.0-1

bash automated testing system

https://github.com/bats-core/bats-core

sudo apt install bats
  • Section: universe/shells
  • Architecture: all
  • 1 optional deps
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Bats
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: bats from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
apk92%

bats 1.13.0-r1

Meta package for Bats

https://bats-core.readthedocs.io/

sudo apk add bats
  • License: MIT
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: bats
  • 1 dependencies
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Bats
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: bats from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
dnf92%

bats 1.13.0-3.fc44

Bash Automated Testing System

https://github.com/bats-core/bats-core

sudo dnf install bats
  • License: MIT
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: bats
  • 3 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Bats
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: bats from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
zypper92%

bats 1.13.0-1.1

Bash Automated Testing System

https://github.com/bats-core/bats-core/

sudo zypper install bats
  • License: MIT
  • Category: Development/Tools/Other
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: bats
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Bats
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: bats from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Same workflow

  • bash_unitShares av.db curated category or tags: bash, cli, developer-tools, testing.
  • bashunitShares av.db curated category or tags: bash, cli, developer-tools, testing.
  • adb-enhancedShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, testing.
  • allureShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, testing.
  • artilleryShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, testing.
  • atfShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, testing.

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.

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