# Install bic with Homebrew, Nix C interpreter and API explorer. Version 1.0.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:bic ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install bic ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#bic ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/bi/bic/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:bic - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.0.0 - **Source summary:** C interpreter and API explorer - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-2.0-only - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-22T14:02:53-07:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - bic (cli) - bic (alias) ## Dependencies - gmp ## Build dependencies - autoconf - autoconf-archive - automake - bison - libtool - pkgconf ## Uses from macOS - libedit ## 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: 1.0.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-22 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/hexagonal-sun/bic - Upstream latest detected: v1.0.0 (current) ## Project history and usage bic is a C interpreter and API explorer that lets developers experiment with C APIs through a REPL and evaluate C source files. ### Project history The public GitHub repository begins with an initial commit in July 2015, and release metadata records v0.9.1 in October 2019 followed by a first stable v1.0.0 release in February 2020. The README describes bic as a tool for exploring and testing C APIs using a read-eval-print loop, with runtime dependencies on GNU Readline, GNU MP, and libffi. ### Adoption history bic remains a niche developer tool, but Homebrew and Nix packaging make it easy to install as a command-line REPL for systems programmers who want to poke at C libraries interactively. The README also documents Docker and Arch Linux AUR installation paths, showing adoption in lightweight developer experimentation workflows rather than mainstream language-runtime distribution. ### How it is used Running bic with no arguments opens a BIC> prompt where users can include system headers, declare variables, call C library functions, and inspect types or values with special REPL syntax. The ~/.bic startup file is evaluated when the REPL starts, and source files can be evaluated with -s so that a C main function receives argc and argv. ### Why package nerds care bic is package-nerd interesting as a compact C REPL built from classic Unix development pieces: readline for interaction, flex/bison/autotools for building, GMP and libffi for runtime behavior, and a single-user dotfile for startup state. It occupies the practical gap between compiling throwaway C programs and using a full debugger or notebook-style environment. ### Timeline - 2015-07-16: Initial public GitHub commit. - 2019-10-03: v0.9.1 release is published. - 2020-02-19: v1.0.0 is published as the first stable release. ### Related projects - GNU Readline provides the interactive command-line editing layer used by bic. - libffi is part of bic's runtime dependency stack for calling C APIs dynamically. - Flex, Bison, Automake, and Autoconf are part of the documented build toolchain. ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes generalized runtime or code generation signal. - **Geiger risk:** yellow / medium - generalized runtime or code generation signal ## 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: ~/.bic ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** bic - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - bic: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/bi/bic/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. - [Language runtime packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/language-runtime-packages/) - Matched language runtime, compiler, or interpreter metadata. - [autoconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/autoconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [automake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/automake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [bison](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bison/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [bas55](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bas55/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: basic, cli, interpreter, language-runtime. - [cbmbasic](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cbmbasic/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: basic, cli, interpreter, language-runtime. - [abcl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/abcl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, interpreter, language-runtime. - [algol68g](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/algol68g/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, interpreter, language-runtime. - [arturo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/arturo/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, interpreter, language-runtime. - [befunge93](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/befunge93/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, interpreter, language-runtime. - [brainfuck](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/brainfuck/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, interpreter, language-runtime. - [chibi-scheme](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/chibi-scheme/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, interpreter, language-runtime. - [elan-init](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/elan-init/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, gmp, language, language-runtime, runtime. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/bic.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/bic.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