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Install libbi with Homebrew
Bayesian state-space modelling on parallel computer hardware. Version 1.4.5 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-28.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Bayesian state-space modelling on parallel computer hardware
Project links
Commands and aliases
- bi
- libbi
history
Project history and usage
LibBi is Lawrence M. Murray's package for Bayesian state-space modelling and inference on high-performance hardware. It combines a C++ template library with a Perl parser and compiler for a domain-specific modelling language.
Project history
LibBi was publicly announced on 2013-06-07, alongside Murray's 2013 paper on Bayesian state-space modelling on high-performance hardware. The paper presents LibBi as software that parses a model language, optimizes it, generates C++ code, compiles it, and runs inference methods on CPU, GPU, and distributed-memory platforms.
The project site frames LibBi around sequential Monte Carlo methods, including particle filtering, PMCMC, SMC^2, the extended Kalman filter, and parameter optimization routines. Its design reflects a scientific-computing period when CUDA, OpenMP, MPI, NetCDF, and HDF5 were expected to be stitched together by domain-specific tooling.
Adoption history
LibBi found a niche in statistical and scientific modelling rather than general-purpose application development. The project site records an RBi package announcement on 2016-10-19 for using LibBi from R, and a 2016-11-14 post announcing Homebrew and Linuxbrew installation for `libbi`.
How it is used
Users write state-space models in LibBi's modelling language, then run the `libbi` or `bi` tools to perform inference and process NetCDF/HDF5-backed input and output. The package is aimed at researchers who want particle methods and hardware parallelism without hand-writing the full generated C++ implementation.
Why package nerds care
LibBi is a good example of a package-manager formula preserving a research software stack: C++, Perl, CUDA-era assumptions, NetCDF/HDF5-style data, and a custom DSL all bundled as a command-line tool. It is niche, but interesting because the package is the executable surface of an academic modelling system.
Timeline
- 2013: Initial release of LibBi is announced on 2013-06-07.
- 2013: Introductory LibBi paper is listed by the project for citation.
- 2016: RBi interface for R is announced on 2016-10-19.
- 2016: Homebrew and Linuxbrew installation is announced on 2016-11-14.
- 2019: Project news lists LibBi 1.4.5 on 2019-07-08.
Related projects
- RBi, R, MATLAB, GNU Octave, Julia, CUDA, OpenMP, MPI, NetCDF, HDF5, and sequential Monte Carlo research code are the most relevant neighbors.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
library-like package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- library-like package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:library-like
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 5 runtime 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
bi | cli | global executable | |
libbi | 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 version1.4.5
manager updated2026-05-28
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detected1.4.5
https://github.com/lawmurray/LibBi
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:libbi |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.4.5 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libbi |
| Homepage | https://libbi.org/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/lawmurray/LibBi |
| Upstream docs | https://libbi.org/docs/LibBi-Manual.pdf |
| License | GPL-2.0-only |
| Source archive | https://github.com/lawmurray/LibBi/archive/refs/tags/1.4.5.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-05-28T17:57:59+02:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | automake, boost, gsl, netcdf, qrupdate |
| Uses from macOS | perl |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, 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 | libbi |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 6 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
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
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment