# Install bsdmake with Homebrew, MacPorts BSD version of the Make build tool. Version 24 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-19. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:bsdmake ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install bsdmake ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install bsdmake ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: devel/bsdmake/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:bsdmake - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 24 - **Source summary:** BSD version of the Make build tool - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause AND BSD-4-Clause-UC - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-19T12:30:03-07:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - bsdmake (cli) - bsdmake (alias) ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 24 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-19 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/bsdmake - info: No cached GitHub release or tag data was available. ## Project history and usage bsdmake is Apple's packaged BSD make implementation, a descendant of the Berkeley/PWB make tradition rather than GNU make. It is a compatibility package for build systems and ports that expect BSD make semantics, makefile names, variables, and system include behavior. ### Project history The Apple open-source manual page carries Regents of the University of California copyright notices from 1990 and 1993 and an SCCS marker for Berkeley make. Its HISTORY section says a `make` command appeared in PWB UNIX, placing BSD make in the long Unix build-tool lineage. The manual documents behavior that distinguishes BSD make from a generic `make`: it reads `sys.mk`, searches for `BSDmakefile`, `makefile`, and `Makefile`, supports `.OBJDIR`, `mkdep`, BSD-style include paths under `/usr/share/mk`, and exposes debugging and compatibility flags. ### Adoption history bsdmake survives in package managers because not every makefile is written for GNU make. The provided package facts show Homebrew and MacPorts packaging, which is especially relevant on macOS where developers may need a BSD-flavored make as an explicit command. Its adoption is mostly compatibility-driven: users install it when building older BSD-derived software, ports, or makefiles that rely on BSD make features or system makefile conventions. ### How it is used `bsdmake` maintains program dependencies from makefiles, with options to select makefiles, include paths, system makefile directories, variables, compatibility mode, and parallel jobs. The command reads the first available `BSDmakefile`, `makefile`, or `Makefile`, and also reads `.depend` when available. Those defaults make it fit naturally into BSD source trees and ports-style builds. ### Why package nerds care bsdmake matters because `make` is not one portable language in practice. Packaging BSD make separately lets build recipes declare the dialect they need instead of hoping the system `make` happens to match. For package maintainers, it is one of those old tools that prevents a surprising amount of build breakage: boring, small, and valuable precisely because it preserves historical semantics. ### Timeline - PWB UNIX era: The manual page's HISTORY section says a make command appeared in PWB UNIX. - 1990-1993: Berkeley copyright notices in the Apple manual page reflect the BSD lineage of this make implementation. - 1995-06-13: The manual page includes a Berkeley SCCS marker for make.1 version 8.8. - 2005-10-14: Apple's bsdmake manual page date records the documented command behavior shipped in this distribution. - 2026: Provided package facts show bsdmake packaged by Homebrew and MacPorts. ### Related projects - GNU make is the dominant alternative make dialect and the main compatibility contrast. - NetBSD make, FreeBSD make, and OpenBSD make are close relatives in the BSD make family. - mkdep and `/usr/share/mk` are part of the BSD build-system environment documented by the manual page. ### Sources - - - source_facts.package-manager ## Security Notes generalized runtime or code generation signal. - **Geiger risk:** yellow / medium - generalized runtime or code generation signal ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** bsdmake - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Requirements:** macos - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** yes - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - MacPorts - bsdmake: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: devel/bsdmake/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [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. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [mtoc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mtoc/) - Shares the same upstream homepage. - [telnet](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/telnet/) - Shares the same upstream homepage. - [telnetd](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/telnetd/) - Shares the same upstream homepage. - [omake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/omake/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools, make. - [cabin](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cabin/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools. - [dune](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dune/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools. - [fastbuild](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fastbuild/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools. - [goredo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/goredo/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools. - [litani](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/litani/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools. - [mk-configure](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mk-configure/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools. - [muon](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/muon/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-system, cli, developer-tools. - [redo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/redo/) - Local metadata places this package in an adjacent workflow. Shared terms: build, build-system, cli, developer, developer-tools. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/bsdmake.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/bsdmake.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