macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install crunchlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install crunchMacPorts ports tree · security/crunch/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install crunch with Homebrew, apt, MacPorts, Nix
Wordlist generator. Version 3.6 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install crunchDebian stable package indexes · crunch · source: deb.debian.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#crunchnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/cr/crunch/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Wordlist generator
Project links
Commands and aliases
- crunch
history
Project history and usage
Crunch is a small GPL wordlist generator used in password-auditing workflows. Its package-manager identity is tied less to a large upstream ecosystem than to its role as a compact command-line tool that can emit large, patterned candidate lists for other security tools.
Project history
The upstream readme credits Crunch version 1.0 to mimayin and dates the initial release to 2004 based on copyright metadata. Later versions were maintained by bofh28, with the changelog showing the tool evolving through character-set files, output splitting, resume support, compression, pattern syntax, Unicode support, and archive-format support.
Adoption history
Crunch remained a SourceForge-hosted utility rather than a larger platform project, but it became broadly packaged because its interface is simple and useful in security lab environments. The supplied package metadata lists it in Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, MacPorts, and Nix, which matches its role as a portable Unix-style CLI.
How it is used
Users commonly run Crunch to generate all combinations or permutations from a standard or custom character set, often piping the output into password-auditing tools or writing very large wordlist files. The upstream changelog explicitly calls out work on output chunking, files larger than 2 GB, resume behavior, compression, and pattern handling, all of which are package-nerd details that matter when a formula is used in long-running shell pipelines.
Why package nerds care
For packagers, Crunch is the classic kind of security formula: a C command-line program, a manpage/readme as the main documentation surface, and a stable executable name that matters more than a rich library API. Its SourceForge code and release files make provenance straightforward, while its use in potentially huge output pipelines makes predictable builds and path installation important.
Timeline
- 2004: Version 1.0 initial release is recorded in the upstream changelog.
- 2008-2012: Later copyrights and changelog entries show continued maintenance by bofh28.
- 2014: SourceForge file metadata shows the readme updated alongside the 3.x release series.
Related projects
- Crunch is commonly used alongside password-auditing and cracking tools that consume generated candidate lists, such as John the Ripper-style workflows mentioned in the upstream changelog.
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 13 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
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
crunch | 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 version3.6
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://sourceforge.net/projects/crunch-wordlist/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://sourceforge.net/projects/crunch-wordlist/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:crunch |
|---|---|
| Version | 3.6 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/crunch |
| Homepage | https://sourceforge.net/projects/crunch-wordlist/ |
| Repository | https://sourceforge.net/p/crunch-wordlist/code |
| Upstream docs | https://sourceforge.net/projects/crunch-wordlist/files/crunch-wordlist/readme.txt |
| License | GPL-2.0-only |
| Source archive | https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/crunch-wordlist/crunch-wordlist/crunch-3.6.tgz |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | crunch |
| 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%
crunch 3.6-3
tool for creating wordlist
http://sourceforge.net/projects/crunch-wordlist/
sudo apt install crunch- Section: misc
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- 4 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Crunch
Nix95%
crunch
nix profile install nixpkgs#crunch- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Crunch
Ubuntu apt95%
crunch 3.6-3
tool for creating wordlist
http://sourceforge.net/projects/crunch-wordlist/
sudo apt install crunch- Section: universe/misc
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- 4 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Crunch
MacPorts95%
crunch
sudo port install crunch- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Crunch
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