macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install cramlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install cramMacPorts ports tree · devel/cram/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install cram with Homebrew, apt, MacPorts
Functional testing framework for command-line applications. Version 0.7 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install python3-cramDebian stable package indexes · python3-cram · source: deb.debian.org
overview
Package summary
Functional testing framework for command-line applications
Project links
Commands and aliases
- cram
history
Project history and usage
Cram is a functional testing framework for command-line applications, built around test files that look like annotated interactive shell sessions.
Project history
Cram's official site describes tests as snippets of interactive shell sessions: commands are run, and their actual output is compared with expected output stored in `.t` files.
Adoption history
The project's NEWS file shows a compact release history from 0.1 in 2010 through 0.7 in 2016. Over that period it gained interactive update support, regex and glob matching, temporary-directory isolation, Python 3 support, `.cramrc`, shell selection, and xUnit XML output.
How it is used
Developers use Cram for black-box CLI tests where shell commands and expected output are easier to review than imperative test code. It prints unified diffs for failures, can write `.err` files, and can interactively merge observed output back into tests.
Why package nerds care
Cram has lasting package-manager appeal because it tests command-line behavior at the packaging boundary. A formula or distro maintainer can exercise installed commands exactly as users run them, without importing the application as a library.
Timeline
- 2010: Version 0.1 was released.
- 2010: Versions 0.3 and 0.4 added environment isolation, interactive updates, regex and glob matching.
- 2013: Version 0.6 added `.cramrc`, shell selection, and Arch Linux package metadata.
- 2016: Version 0.7 added debug mode, shell options, and xUnit XML output.
Related projects
- Cram is conceptually close to shell transcript testing and Mercurial-style `.t` tests, but is distributed as its own Python command-line test runner.
Sources
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.
- Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
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
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
cram | cli | global 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 version0.7
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://bitheap.org/cramnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:cram |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.7 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/cram |
| Homepage | https://bitheap.org/cram |
| Repository | https://github.com/aiiie/cram |
| Upstream docs | https://bitheap.org/cram |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/38/85/5a8a3397b2ccb2ffa3ba871f76a4d72c16531e43d0e58fc89a0f2983adbd/cram-0.7.tar.gz |
| Dependencies | python@3.14 |
| Bottle | available (on all) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | cram |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
python3-cram 0.7-6
functional testing framework for command line applications - Python 3.x
sudo apt install python3-cram- Section: python
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: cram
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cram
Ubuntu apt95%
python3-cram 0.7-5
functional testing framework for command line applications - Python 3.x
sudo apt install python3-cram- Section: universe/python
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: cram
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cram
MacPorts95%
cram
sudo port install cram- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cram
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.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
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