macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install gnu-complexitylocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install gnu-complexity with Homebrew, apt, Nix, zypper
Measures complexity of C source. Version 1.13 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install complexityDebian stable package indexes · complexity · source: deb.debian.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#complexitynixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/co/complexity/package.nix · source: api.github.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install complexityopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · complexity · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Measures complexity of C source
Project links
Commands and aliases
- complexity
- cx-vs-mc
history
Project history and usage
GNU Complexity is a small GNU static-analysis tool for measuring the complexity of C functions, designed as a more human-comprehension-oriented alternative to simple McCabe-style path counts.
Project history
The GNU Complexity manual documents version 0.4 as of May 2011 and describes a tool by Bruce Korb for analyzing C function complexity. Its rationale is explicit: McCabe-style scoring and `pmccabe` are useful for testing effort, but GNU Complexity tries to better rank functions that are difficult for humans to understand by considering length, nesting, switch bodies, and complicated boolean expressions.
Adoption history
GNU Complexity has a narrow adoption footprint compared with larger GNU developer tools. Its significance is in the code-review and maintenance niche: it gives C maintainers a command-line metric that can point to suspicious functions in unfamiliar code, estimate testing or comprehension effort, and produce sorted score tables and histograms.
How it is used
Practitioners run `complexity` over C source files to report procedure scores, line counts, source locations, and optional histograms. The manual's example runs the tool against its own source with a low threshold, illustrating use as a quick audit tool for ranking functions before refactoring or review.
Why package nerds care
For package nerds, GNU Complexity is interesting because it embodies a Unix-tool approach to maintainability: one command, text output, tunable thresholds, and a documented scoring model. It is useful in distributions as a lightweight companion to older tools such as `pmccabe` rather than as a large static-analysis framework.
Timeline
- 2011: GNU Complexity web page and manual documented version 0.4.
- 2011: Manual rationale compared GNU Complexity with `pmccabe` and explained its scoring model.
Related projects
- `pmccabe` is the comparison point used throughout the GNU Complexity manual.
- `unifdef` is discussed in the parsing model as a way to handle preprocessor-conditional source.
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 12 platform targets.
- Installs with 1 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.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
complexity | cli | global executable | |
cx-vs-mc | 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 version1.13
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://www.gnu.org/software/complexity/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.gnu.org/software/complexity/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:gnu-complexity |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.13 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/gnu-complexity |
| Homepage | https://www.gnu.org/software/complexity/ |
| Repository | https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/complexity.git |
| Upstream docs | https://www.gnu.org/software/complexity/manual |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/gnu/complexity/complexity-1.13.tar.xz |
| Dependencies | autogen |
| Build dependencies | autoconf, automake |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, 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 | gnu-complexity |
| 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 apt92%
complexity 1.13-1+b1
tool for analyzing the complexity of C program functions
https://gnu.org/software/complexity
sudo apt install complexity- Section: devel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: complexity
- 2 dependencies
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Complexity
Debian apt92%
complexity-doc 1.13-1
tool for analyzing the complexity of C program (documentation)
https://gnu.org/software/complexity
sudo apt install complexity-doc- Section: doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: complexity
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Complexity
Nix92%
complexity
nix profile install nixpkgs#complexity- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Complexity
Ubuntu apt92%
complexity 1.13-1
tool for analyzing the complexity of C program functions
https://gnu.org/software/complexity
sudo apt install complexity- Section: universe/devel
- Architecture: amd64
- 2 dependencies
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Complexity
Ubuntu apt92%
complexity-doc 1.13-1
tool for analyzing the complexity of C program (documentation)
https://gnu.org/software/complexity
sudo apt install complexity-doc- Section: universe/doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: complexity
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Complexity
zypper92%
complexity 1.13-1.7
C source code complexity computation utility
https://www.gnu.org/software/complexity/
sudo zypper install complexity- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Development/Tools/Other
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: complexity
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Complexity
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