Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install gmsh with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, winget, zypper

3D finite element grid generator with CAD engine. Version 4.15.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install gmsh

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install gmsh

MacPorts ports tree · science/gmsh/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add gmsh

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · gmsh · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install gmsh

Debian stable package indexes · gmsh · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install gmsh

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · gmsh · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#gmsh

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/gm/gmsh/package.nix · source: api.github.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install gmsh

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · gmsh · source: download.opensuse.org

Windows

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%
winget install --id gmsh.gmsh -e

Windows Package Manager source index · gmsh.gmsh · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

3D finite element grid generator with CAD engine

Commands and aliases

  • gmsh

history

Project history and usage

Gmsh is an automatic three-dimensional finite-element mesh generator with CAD, meshing, solver, and post-processing modules. It is widely packaged because it serves both as a graphical scientific tool and as a scriptable/API-driven mesh generator for simulation workflows.

Project history

Gmsh was created by Christophe Geuzaine and Jean-Francois Remacle, with copyright years in the source README beginning in 1997. The reference manual identifies it as a 3D finite-element mesh generator with built-in pre- and post-processing facilities.

The project was documented in a 2009 International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering paper, cited from the official manual. That paper helped establish Gmsh as a named research-software artifact rather than only a utility shipped by its authors.

Gmsh evolved from a standalone meshing program into a modular platform. The manual describes four modules: geometry, mesh, solver, and post-processing, controllable from the GUI, the command line, .geo scripts, and C++, C, Python, Julia, and Fortran APIs.

The 4.x line expanded API and CAD workflows, including OpenCASCADE geometry operations, model attributes, Fortran API support, and ongoing changes to mesh formats and post-processing behavior. The official version history records detailed 4.x releases through 4.15.2 in March 2026.

Adoption history

The manual states that source code and precompiled binaries are distributed for Windows, macOS, and Linux, with packages also available in Linux and BSD distributions. The batch metadata additionally shows packaging in Homebrew, Alpine, Debian, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Ubuntu, winget, and openSUSE.

Gmsh's adoption rests on a useful balance: it is light enough to install as a command-line tool, visual enough for interactive geometry and mesh inspection, and programmable enough to sit inside automated simulation pipelines.

Its official documentation and examples make it attractive to finite-element practitioners who need mesh generation without adopting a full commercial preprocessor. The .geo scripting language and multi-language API also make meshes reproducible in source-controlled projects.

How it is used

Practitioners use Gmsh to define geometry, generate 1D, 2D, and 3D meshes, assign physical groups, import CAD through OpenCASCADE, inspect mesh quality, and export mesh files for downstream solvers.

Command-line users generate meshes from .geo files in build pipelines or tests. GUI users inspect and tune geometry, mesh sizes, fields, and post-processing views. API users call Gmsh from C++, C, Python, Julia, or Fortran to generate meshes from application code.

Package-manager installs are especially useful for CI and scientific environments where scripts need the gmsh executable or Python module available without a manual GUI installer.

Why package nerds care

Gmsh is a high-value package because it turns a hard scientific dependency into a normal system dependency. Build scripts, solver examples, Python notebooks, and finite-element tutorials can all assume an installable gmsh command rather than bundling a meshing engine.

It is also a good example of why scientific packages are often bigger than a CLI: one formula supplies a desktop app, CAD integrations, a shared library, language bindings, examples, and a file-format ecosystem.

Timeline

  • 1997: Gmsh copyright period begins in the source README.
  • 2009: Gmsh paper published in International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering.
  • 2017: Public GitLab project created on gitlab.onelab.info.
  • 2022: Gmsh 4.11.0 added Fortran API support and new official macOS ARM builds.
  • 2026: Gmsh 4.15.2 released.

Related projects

  • OpenCASCADE supplies CAD-kernel functionality for constructive solid geometry, boolean operations, and STEP import.
  • ONELAB is related through the official hosting and solver-oriented workflows documented by Gmsh.
  • Finite-element solvers consume the mesh files and physical groups produced by Gmsh.

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 6 platform targets.
  • Installs with 9 runtime dependencies.
  • Build metadata lists 2 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

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

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix
$GMSH_HOME/<General.OptionsFileName>$GMSH_HOME/<General.SessionFileName>~/<General.OptionsFileName>~/<General.SessionFileName><model-file>.opt
Windows
%GMSH_HOME%\<General.OptionsFileName>%GMSH_HOME%\<General.SessionFileName>%APPDATA%\<General.OptionsFileName>%APPDATA%\<General.SessionFileName><model-file>.opt

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
gmshcliglobal 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 version4.15.2
manager updated2026-06-22
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://gmsh.info/

  • infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://gmsh.info/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:gmsh
Version4.15.2
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/gmsh
Homepagehttps://gmsh.info/
Repositoryhttps://gitlab.onelab.info/gmsh/gmsh
Upstream docshttps://gmsh.info/doc/texinfo/gmsh.html
LicenseGPL-2.0-or-later
Source archivehttps://gmsh.info/src/gmsh-4.15.2-source.tgz
Last updated2026-06-22T14:03:35-07:00
Pulseupdated
Dependenciescairo, fltk, freetype, gmp, jpeg-turbo, libomp, libpng, metis, opencascade
Build dependenciescmake, eigen
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namegmsh
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Head VersionHEAD
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • head
  • stable

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%

gmsh 4.13.1+ds1-6

Three-dimensional finite element mesh generator

https://gmsh.info

sudo apt install gmsh
  • Section: math
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: gmsh from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Debian apt95%

gmsh-doc 4.13.1+ds1-6

Three-dimensional finite element mesh generator documentation

https://gmsh.info

sudo apt install gmsh-doc
  • Section: doc
  • Architecture: all
  • Source Package: gmsh
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: gmsh-doc from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Debian apt95%

libgmsh-dev 4.13.1+ds1-6

Three-dimensional finite element mesh generator development files

https://gmsh.info

sudo apt install libgmsh-dev
  • Section: libdevel
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: gmsh
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: libgmsh-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Debian apt95%

libgmsh-private-headers-dev 4.13.1+ds1-6

Three-dimensional finite element mesh generator development files

https://gmsh.info

sudo apt install libgmsh-private-headers-dev
  • Section: libdevel
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: gmsh
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: libgmsh-private-headers-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Debian apt95%

libgmsh4.13 4.13.1+ds1-6

Three-dimensional finite element mesh generator shared library

https://gmsh.info

sudo apt install libgmsh4.13
  • Section: libs
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: gmsh
  • 27 dependencies
  • 1 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: libgmsh4.13 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Debian apt95%

python3-gmsh 4.13.1+ds1-6

Three-dimensional finite element mesh generator Python 3 wrapper

https://gmsh.info

sudo apt install python3-gmsh
  • Section: python
  • Architecture: all
  • Source Package: gmsh
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: python3-gmsh from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

gmsh

nix profile install nixpkgs#gmsh
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/gm/gmsh/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Ubuntu apt95%

gmsh 4.12.1+ds1-1.1build2

Three-dimensional finite element mesh generator

https://gmsh.info

sudo apt install gmsh
  • Section: universe/math
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: gmsh from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
Ubuntu apt95%

gmsh-doc 4.12.1+ds1-1.1build2

Three-dimensional finite element mesh generator documentation

https://gmsh.info

sudo apt install gmsh-doc
  • Section: universe/doc
  • Architecture: all
  • Source Package: gmsh
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: gmsh-doc from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
Ubuntu apt95%

libgmsh-dev 4.12.1+ds1-1.1build2

Three-dimensional finite element mesh generator development files

https://gmsh.info

sudo apt install libgmsh-dev
  • Section: universe/libdevel
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: gmsh
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libgmsh-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
Ubuntu apt95%

libgmsh-private-headers-dev 4.12.1+ds1-1.1build2

Three-dimensional finite element mesh generator development files

https://gmsh.info

sudo apt install libgmsh-private-headers-dev
  • Section: universe/libdevel
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: gmsh
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libgmsh-private-headers-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
Ubuntu apt95%

libgmsh4.12t64 4.12.1+ds1-1.1build2

Three-dimensional finite element mesh generator shared library

https://gmsh.info

sudo apt install libgmsh4.12t64
  • Section: universe/libs
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: gmsh
  • 24 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • 1 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libgmsh4.12t64 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
Ubuntu apt95%

python3-gmsh 4.12.1+ds1-1.1build2

Three-dimensional finite element mesh generator Python 3 wrapper

https://gmsh.info

sudo apt install python3-gmsh
  • Section: universe/python
  • Architecture: all
  • Source Package: gmsh
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: python3-gmsh from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
apk95%

gmsh 4.15.0-r0

Automatic 3D finite element mesh generator

https://gmsh.info/

sudo apk add gmsh
  • License: GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: gmsh
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: gmsh from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

gmsh-dbg 4.15.0-r0

Automatic 3D finite element mesh generator (debug symbols)

https://gmsh.info/

sudo apk add gmsh-dbg
  • License: GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: gmsh
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: gmsh-dbg from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

gmsh-doc 4.15.0-r0

Automatic 3D finite element mesh generator (documentation)

https://gmsh.info/

sudo apk add gmsh-doc
  • License: GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: gmsh
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Gmsh
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: gmsh-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • cairoRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • fltkRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • freetypeRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • jpeg-turboRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • libpngRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • metisRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • cmakeBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • tfelShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, engineering, science.
  • admeshShares av.db curated category or tags: cad, cli, science.
  • kim-apiShares av.db curated category or tags: api, cli, science.
  • opencascadeShares av.db curated category or tags: cad, cli, science.
  • aamathShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, science.
  • abpoaShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, science.

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.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • Nucleus package database
  • av.db category and tag curation
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated configuration and credential file locations
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment