# Install icestorm with Homebrew, apk, dnf, Nix Tools for analyzing and creating Lattice iCE40 FPGA bitstream files. Version 1.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:icestorm ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install icestorm ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add icestorm ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: icestorm from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install icestorm ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: icestorm from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#icestorm ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ic/icestorm/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:icestorm - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.1 - **Source summary:** Tools for analyzing and creating Lattice iCE40 FPGA bitstream files - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** ISC - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - icebox_asc2hlc (cli) - icebox_chipdb (cli) - icebox_colbuf (cli) - icebox_diff (cli) - icebox_explain (cli) - icebox_hlc2asc (cli) - icebox_html (cli) - icebox_maps (cli) - icebox_stat (cli) - icebox_vlog (cli) - icebram (cli) - icemulti (cli) - icepack (cli) - icepll (cli) - iceprog (cli) - icetime (cli) - iceunpack (cli) - icebox_asc2hlc (alias) - icebox_chipdb (alias) - icebox_colbuf (alias) - icebox_diff (alias) - icebox_explain (alias) - icebox_hlc2asc (alias) - icebox_html (alias) - icebox_maps (alias) - icebox_stat (alias) - icebox_vlog (alias) - icebram (alias) - icemulti (alias) - icepack (alias) - icepll (alias) - iceprog (alias) - icetime (alias) - iceunpack (alias) ## Dependencies - libftdi - libusb - python@3.14 ## Build dependencies - pkgconf ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.1 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/YosysHQ/icestorm - Upstream latest detected: v1.1 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## Project history and usage Project IceStorm is the reverse-engineered documentation and tool suite for Lattice iCE40 FPGA bitstreams. In package-manager terms it is the `ice*` tool bundle that helped make a fully open-source Verilog-to-bitstream flow practical on inexpensive FPGA boards. ### Project history The project began as an effort to document the iCE40 bitstream format and provide simple tools for analyzing and creating bitstream files. Its own timeline records a first public release in March 2015, a working fully open-source flow with Yosys and Arachne-pnr in May 2015, and a move of the source code to GitHub in July 2015. IceStorm's documentation frames Lattice iCE40 as a good target because the architecture is regular and minimal, with inexpensive development boards available. That made the family useful both for reverse-engineered documentation and as a reference platform for open FPGA tooling. ### Adoption history IceStorm became important because it linked several independent tools into an end-to-end flow: Yosys for synthesis, Arachne-pnr and later nextpnr for place-and-route, IceStorm tools for packing, unpacking, timing, bitstream inspection, and programming. By 2016 the documentation listed support across LP/HX 1K, 4K, and 8K package variants, and in 2018 it added iCE40 UltraPlus support. The package shows up in Homebrew, Alpine, Fedora, and Nix metadata because FPGA hobbyists, hardware hackers, and digital-design developers often want the flow on ordinary Unix-like developer machines rather than inside vendor IDEs. ### How it is used A typical flow synthesizes Verilog with Yosys, places and routes with Arachne-pnr or nextpnr, packs the ASCII bitstream with `icepack`, and programs hardware with `iceprog`. Other tools such as `iceunpack`, `icebox_explain`, `icebox_vlog`, `icetime`, and `icepll` support reverse engineering, inspection, timing, and PLL configuration. The package is especially associated with small iCE40 boards such as the iCEstick and HX8K breakout board, where a command-line flow is enough to build, inspect, and upload simple FPGA designs. ### Why package nerds care Project IceStorm is one of the packages that made open FPGA development feel like normal Unix development: install compiler-like tools, run commands, inspect generated artifacts, and avoid proprietary GUI-only flows for supported iCE40 parts. It is also historically important as a bridge between software package managers and hardware toolchains. Its executables expose FPGA bitstreams as files that can be packed, unpacked, explained, converted to Verilog, timed, and programmed. ### Timeline - 2015-03-22: First public release and demonstration video. - 2015-05-27: Working fully open-source flow with Yosys and Arachne-pnr. - 2015-07-19: 8K chip support released and source code moved to GitHub. - 2016-01-17: First IceTime timing-analysis release. - 2016-02-07: Support for all package variants of LP1K, LP4K, LP8K, HX1K, HX4K, and HX8K. - 2018-01-30: iCE40 UltraPlus support released. - 2025: The GitHub repository lists v1.1 as a tagged release. ### Related projects - Yosys provides Verilog synthesis for the iCE40 flow. - Arachne-pnr and nextpnr provide place-and-route options used with IceStorm. - Lattice iCEcube2 is the proprietary tool whose generated bitstreams were used as comparison material during reverse engineering. - F4PGA and other FPGA documentation efforts belong to the broader open FPGA tooling movement. ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. - **Geiger risk:** blue / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** icestorm - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - icestorm: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ic/icestorm/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - apk - icestorm - 0_git20240517-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: icestorm from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Project IceStorm - Lattice iCE40 FPGAs Bitstream Documentation | https://github.com/YosysHQ/icestorm - dnf - icestorm - 0-0.43.20250707gitf31c39c.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: icestorm from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Lattice iCE40 FPGA bitstream creation/analysis/programming tools | http://bygone.clairexen.net/icestorm ## Related links - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [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. - [libftdi](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libftdi/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [python@3.14](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/python-3-14/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [nextpnr-ice40](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/nextpnr-ice40/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [prjtrellis](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/prjtrellis/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: bitstream, cli, developer-tools, fpga, hardware. - [openfpgaloader](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/openfpgaloader/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, fpga, hardware. - [rggen](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rggen/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, fpga, hardware. - [i2c-tools](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/i2c-tools/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, hardware. - [sigrok-cli](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sigrok-cli/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, hardware. - [verilator](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/verilator/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, hardware. - [apktool](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/apktool/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, reverse-engineering. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/icestorm.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/icestorm.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