# Install colormake with Homebrew, apk, apt, Nix, zypper

Wrapper around make to colorize the output. Version 0.9.20140503 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:colormake
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install colormake
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Linux

- apk (92%):

```sh
sudo apk add colormake
```

  Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: colormake from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

- Debian apt (92%):

```sh
sudo apt install colormake
```

  Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: colormake from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#colormake
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/co/colormake/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

- zypper (92%):

```sh
sudo zypper install colormake
```

  Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: colormake from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:colormake
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Package manager page:** <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/colormake>
- **Version:** 0.9.20140503
- **Source summary:** Wrapper around make to colorize the output
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/pagekite/Colormake>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/pagekite/Colormake>
- **Upstream docs:** <https://github.com/pagekite/Colormake#readme>
- **License:** GPL-2.0-or-later
- **Source archive:** <https://github.com/pagekite/Colormake/archive/refs/tags/0.9.20140503.tar.gz>
- **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00

## Executables

- clmake (cli)
- clmake-short (cli)
- colormake (cli)
- colormake-short (cli)
- clmake (alias)
- clmake-short (alias)
- colormake (alias)
- colormake-short (alias)

## Install behavior

- Post-install hook: not defined
- Bottle: available on all

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-07-08
- Package-manager version: 0.9.20140503
- Local data: ok
- Upstream repository: https://github.com/pagekite/Colormake
- Upstream latest detected: 0.9.20140503 (current)
- info: No package-manager update timestamp was available.
## Project history and usage

Colormake is a small Perl-and-shell wrapper around `make` that colorizes build output so compiler messages and errors are easier to scan.

### Project history

The manual page is dated July 2001 and describes `colormake` as a wrapper for `make(1)`. The upstream README credits Bjarni R. Einarsson as author and says the project was inspired by Michael T. Babcock's `logcolorize` program.

### Adoption history

Colormake has the kind of quiet adoption typical of build-output filters: it is exposed as `colormake`, `clmake`, `colormake-short`, and `clmake-short`, and the supplied metadata lists packages in Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Alpine, Nix, and openSUSE.

### How it is used

Users substitute `colormake` where they would normally run `make`; `clmake` pipes through `less`, while the `-short` variants truncate long lines to avoid wrapping.

### Why package nerds care

Colormake is notable for solving a narrow packaging-era problem with minimal machinery: improving human readability of compiler output without changing makefiles or build systems. The manpage also records an old command-name conflict: `/usr/bin/colormake` was formerly `/usr/bin/cmake`, which had to be renamed.

### Timeline

- 2001: Debian-oriented manual page dated July 2 describes colormake's wrapper behavior.
- 2000s: The command was renamed from `cmake` to `colormake` because of a name clash.
- 2010s: Upstream development moved to GitHub under the PageKite organization.

### Related projects

- Colormake is related to `make`, `less`, compiler output filters, and Michael T. Babcock's `logcolorize`, which the README names as an inspiration.

### Sources

- <https://github.com/pagekite/Colormake>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pagekite/Colormake/master/README.md>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pagekite/Colormake/master/colormake.1>


## 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: /usr/share/colormake/colormake.rc, ~/.colormakerc
## Source Database Details

- **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API
- **Tap:** homebrew/core
- **Full Name:** colormake
- **Version Scheme:** 0
- **Revision:** 0
- **Head Version:** HEAD
- **Bottle Stable Root URL:** <https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core>
- **Deprecated:** no
- **Disabled:** no
- **Keg Only:** no
- **URL Keys:** head, stable

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Debian apt - colormake - 0.9.20140504-5: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: colormake from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | simple wrapper around make to colorize output | https://github.com/pagekite/Colormake
- Nix - colormake: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/co/colormake/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- Ubuntu apt - colormake - 0.9.20140504-5: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: colormake from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | simple wrapper around make to colorize output | https://github.com/pagekite/Colormake
- apk - colormake - 0.9.20170221-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: colormake from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | A simple wrapper around make to colorize the output | http://bre.klaki.net/programs/colormake
- apk - colormake-doc - 0.9.20170221-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: colormake-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | A simple wrapper around make to colorize the output (documentation) | http://bre.klaki.net/programs/colormake
- zypper - colormake - 0.9.20140503-4.7: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: colormake from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Colorize the make output | http://github.com/pagekite/Colormake


## Related links

- [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family.
- [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.
- [colordiff](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/colordiff/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, color-output, developer-tools, perl, terminal.
- [compiledb](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/compiledb/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-tools, cli, developer-tools, make.
- [aha](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aha/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal.
- [amtterm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/amtterm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal.
- [ansifilter](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ansifilter/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal.
- [bmake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bmake/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: build-tools, cli, developer-tools, make.
- [ccat](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ccat/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal.
- [clive](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clive/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal.
- [faketty](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/faketty/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, output, terminal.
- [pkg-config-wrapper](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkg-config-wrapper/) - Local metadata places this package in an adjacent workflow. Shared terms: build, build-tools, cli, developer, developer-tools.

## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/colormake.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/colormake.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
