macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install csmithlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install csmith with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, zypper
Generates random C programs conforming to the C99 standard. Version 2.3.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-19.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add csmithAlpine Linux edge package indexes · csmith · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install csmithDebian stable package indexes · csmith · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install csmithFedora Rawhide package metadata · csmith · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#csmithnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/cs/csmith/package.nix · source: api.github.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install csmithopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · csmith · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Generates random C programs conforming to the C99 standard
Project links
Commands and aliases
- compiler_test.pl
- csmith
- launchn.pl
history
Project history and usage
Csmith is a random C program generator designed for compiler testing. It is a package-nerd staple because it turns compiler validation into a repeatable command-line workload that distributions can package and compiler developers can run locally.
Project history
The official README says Csmith was developed at the University of Utah by Xuejun Yang, Yang Chen, Eric Eide, and John Regehr as part of a compiler-testing research project. It says the project was open sourced in 2009 and is maintained as an open-source project in discretionary time.
Adoption history
The project became known through differential testing of C compilers. The README points to the paper Finding and Understanding Bugs in C Compilers as the best summary of the research, and the packaged tool is available across Homebrew and several Linux distributions according to the input package-manager facts.
How it is used
Official usage examples generate a random C file with csmith, compile it with GCC and Clang, run both outputs, and compare results. The README also notes that generated programs avoid undefined behavior and that timeouts are best practice because generated programs can contain infinite loops.
Why package nerds care
Csmith is a compact command-line generator with outsized value for compiler packages: it can be scripted into local compiler checks, regression hunts, and distribution QA without a large service dependency.
Timeline
- 2009: Csmith was open sourced.
- 2011: The GitHub repository was created.
- 2026: Homebrew formula metadata lists stable version 2.3.0.
Related projects
- The README's primary related projects are C compilers such as GCC and Clang, used as differential-testing targets.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
compiler_test.pl | cli | global executable | |
csmith | cli | global executable | |
launchn.pl | 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 version2.3.0
manager updated2026-06-19
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedcsmith-2.3.0
https://github.com/csmith-project/csmith
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:csmith |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.3.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/csmith |
| Homepage | https://github.com/csmith-project/csmith |
| Repository | https://github.com/csmith-project/csmith |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/csmith-project/csmith#readme |
| License | BSD-2-Clause |
| Source archive | https://github.com/csmith-project/csmith/archive/refs/tags/csmith-2.3.0.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-19T12:30:04-07:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| 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 |
| Caveats | It is recommended that you set the environment variable 'CSMITH_PATH' to $HOMEBREW_CELLAR/csmith/2.3.0/include/csmith-2.3.0 |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | csmith |
| 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 |
|
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%
csmith 2.3.0-8
generator of random C programs
https://embed.cs.utah.edu/csmith/
sudo apt install csmith- Section: devel
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Csmith
Debian apt95%
libcsmith-dev 2.3.0-8
generator of random C programs (development files)
https://embed.cs.utah.edu/csmith/
sudo apt install libcsmith-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: csmith
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Csmith
Debian apt95%
libcsmith0t64 2.3.0-8
generator of random C programs (runtime library)
https://embed.cs.utah.edu/csmith/
sudo apt install libcsmith0t64- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: csmith
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Csmith
Nix95%
csmith
nix profile install nixpkgs#csmith- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Csmith
Ubuntu apt95%
csmith 2.3.0-7.1build1
generator of random C programs
https://embed.cs.utah.edu/csmith/
sudo apt install csmith- Section: universe/devel
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Csmith
Ubuntu apt95%
libcsmith-dev 2.3.0-7.1build1
generator of random C programs (development files)
https://embed.cs.utah.edu/csmith/
sudo apt install libcsmith-dev- Section: universe/libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: csmith
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Csmith
Ubuntu apt95%
libcsmith0t64 2.3.0-7.1build1
generator of random C programs (runtime library)
https://embed.cs.utah.edu/csmith/
sudo apt install libcsmith0t64- Section: universe/libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: csmith
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Csmith
apk95%
csmith 2.3.0-r2
Tool for generating random C programs
https://embed.cs.utah.edu/csmith/
sudo apk add csmith- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: csmith
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Csmith
apk95%
csmith-doc 2.3.0-r2
Tool for generating random C programs (documentation)
https://embed.cs.utah.edu/csmith/
sudo apk add csmith-doc- License: BSD-2-Clause
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: csmith
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Csmith
dnf95%
csmith 2.4.0-15.fc44
Tool to generate random C programs for compiler testing
http://embed.cs.utah.edu/csmith/
sudo dnf install csmith- License: LicenseRef-Callaway-BSD AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND LicenseRef-Callaway-LGPLv2+
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: csmith
- 7 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Csmith
dnf95%
csmith-devel 2.4.0-15.fc44
Header files and libraries for Csmith development
http://embed.cs.utah.edu/csmith/
sudo dnf install csmith-devel- License: LicenseRef-Callaway-BSD AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND LicenseRef-Callaway-LGPLv2+
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: csmith
- 3 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Csmith
zypper95%
csmith 2.3.0-1.31
Random C code generator
https://github.com/csmith-project/csmith
sudo zypper install csmith- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Category: Development/Tools/Other
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: csmith
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Csmith
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