# Install gnu-complexity with Homebrew, apt, Nix, zypper Measures complexity of C source. Version 1.13 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:gnu-complexity ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install gnu-complexity ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install complexity ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: complexity from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#complexity ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/co/complexity/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install complexity ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: complexity from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:gnu-complexity - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.13 - **Source summary:** Measures complexity of C source - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - complexity (cli) - cx-vs-mc (cli) - complexity (alias) - cx-vs-mc (alias) ## Dependencies - autogen ## Build dependencies - autoconf - automake ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - 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 ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.13 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.gnu.org/software/complexity/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## 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 Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** gnu-complexity - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - complexity - 1.13-1+b1: installed executable or alias match | Debian stable package indexes: complexity from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | tool for analyzing the complexity of C program functions | https://gnu.org/software/complexity - Debian apt - complexity-doc - 1.13-1: installed executable or alias match | Debian stable package indexes: complexity-doc from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | tool for analyzing the complexity of C program (documentation) | https://gnu.org/software/complexity - Nix - complexity: installed executable or alias match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/co/complexity/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - complexity - 1.13-1: installed executable or alias match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: complexity from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | tool for analyzing the complexity of C program functions | https://gnu.org/software/complexity - Ubuntu apt - complexity-doc - 1.13-1: installed executable or alias match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: complexity-doc from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | tool for analyzing the complexity of C program (documentation) | https://gnu.org/software/complexity - zypper - complexity - 1.13-1.7: installed executable or alias match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: complexity from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | C source code complexity computation utility | https://www.gnu.org/software/complexity/ ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [autogen](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/autogen/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [autoconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/autoconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [automake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/automake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [lizard-analyzer](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lizard-analyzer/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, code-analysis, code-metrics, developer-tools, metrics. - [gocloc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gocloc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, code-analysis, code-metrics, developer-tools, metrics. - [pmccabe](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pmccabe/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, code-analysis, code-metrics, developer-tools. - [ccheck](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ccheck/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, code-analysis, developer-tools, static-analysis. - [include-what-you-use](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/include-what-you-use/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, code-analysis, developer-tools, static-analysis. - [ohcount](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ohcount/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, code-analysis, developer-tools, metrics. - [castxml](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/castxml/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, code-analysis, developer-tools. - [tokei](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/tokei/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, code-analysis, code-metrics, developer-tools. - [cflow](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cflow/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: analysis, c, cli, code, developer. - [gnu-indent](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gnu-indent/) - Package names and metadata indicate a similar tool family. Shared terms: c, cli, code, developer, developer-tools. - [gnu-barcode](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gnu-barcode/) - Package names and metadata indicate a similar tool family. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, gnu. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/gnu-complexity.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/gnu-complexity.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph