macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install lemonlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install lemonMacPorts ports tree · lang/lemon/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install lemon with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper
LALR(1) parser generator like yacc or bison. Version 3.53.3 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-27.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install lemonDebian stable package indexes · lemon · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install lemonFedora Rawhide package metadata · lemon · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#lemonnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/le/lemon/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S lemonArch Linux sync databases · lemon · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install lemonopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · lemon · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
LALR(1) parser generator like yacc or bison
Project links
Commands and aliases
- lemon
history
Project history and usage
Lemon is an LALR(1) parser generator in the SQLite orbit: a yacc-like tool for generating C parsers, but with a deliberately different grammar format and a reentrant, thread-safe parser model.
Project history
The project is documented by Hwaci and SQLite as a small code-generation utility rather than a standalone source repository. SQLite documents Lemon as a set of files kept inside the SQLite source tree, including lemon.c for the generator, lempar.c for the parser template, and lemon.html for detailed documentation.
Lemon evolved as a tool shaped by SQLite's own parser needs. SQLite's Lemon page notes that keeping the generator inside the SQLite project allowed the tool to gain SQLite-specific features, such as fallback tokens for SQL keywords and changes aimed at efficient parser generation.
Adoption history
Its most important adoption path is SQLite itself. SQLite uses Lemon to generate the main SQL parser from parse.y, and also uses it for FTS5 query-pattern parsing from fts5parse.y.
Outside SQLite, Lemon is attractive to C projects that want a compact parser generator with generated parsers that avoid yacc's global-state style.
How it is used
Users write a context-free grammar and run lemon to emit C parser code. Compared with yacc and bison, Lemon uses different grammar syntax, expects the tokenizer to call the parser, and emphasizes reentrant and thread-safe generated parsers.
Why package nerds care
Lemon is a package-nerd favorite because it is a small, old-school build-time tool hidden inside one of the most widely deployed C projects. Installing it as a separate package gives developers access to SQLite's parser generator without vendoring the SQLite source tree.
Timeline
- 2000s: Lemon became part of the SQLite source tree as the generator for SQLite's SQL parser.
- 2022: SQLite's Lemon documentation described Lemon as having no standalone source repository and being maintained as files inside the SQLite tree.
Related projects
- SQLite is the parent project and primary user.
- yacc and GNU Bison are the older parser-generator family Lemon is commonly compared with.
Sources
security posture
No protected-tool coverage found yet
No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for lemon. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
lemon | 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 version3.53.3
manager updated2026-06-27
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://www.hwaci.com/sw/lemon/
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.hwaci.com/sw/lemon/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:lemon |
|---|---|
| Version | 3.53.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/lemon |
| Homepage | https://www.hwaci.com/sw/lemon/ |
| Repository | https://www.sqlite.org/src |
| Upstream docs | https://www.hwaci.com/sw/lemon |
| License | blessing |
| Source archive | https://www.sqlite.org/2026/sqlite-src-3530300.zip |
| Last updated | 2026-06-27T14:08:56Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sequoia, sonoma, tahoe, 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 | lemon |
| 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 apt95%
lemon 3.46.1-7+deb13u1
LALR(1) Parser Generator for C or C++
sudo apt install lemon- Section: devel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: sqlite3
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lemon
Nix95%
lemon
nix profile install nixpkgs#lemon- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lemon
Ubuntu apt95%
lemon 3.45.1-1ubuntu2
LALR(1) Parser Generator for C or C++
sudo apt install lemon- Section: universe/devel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: sqlite3
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lemon
dnf95%
lemon 3.53.2-1.fc45
A parser generator
sudo dnf install lemon- License: blessing
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: sqlite
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lemon
pacman95%
lemon 3.53.2-1
A parser generator
sudo pacman -S lemon- License: LicenseRef-Sqlite
- Architecture: x86_64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lemon
zypper95%
lemon 3.53.2-1.1
A parser generator
sudo zypper install lemon- License: LicenseRef-SUSE-Public-Domain
- Category: Productivity/Databases/Servers
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: sqlite3
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lemon
MacPorts95%
lemon
sudo port install lemon- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lemon
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