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brew

Install libbladerf with Homebrew, Nix

USB 3.0 Superspeed Software Defined Radio Source. Version 2025.10 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libbladerf

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#libbladeRF

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/li/libbladeRF/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

USB 3.0 Superspeed Software Defined Radio Source

Commands and aliases

  • bladeRF-cli
  • bladeRF-fsk
  • bladeRF-power
  • bladeRF-update

history

Project history and usage

libbladeRF is the host library and tool suite for Nuand's bladeRF software-defined radio hardware. The upstream repository combines host-side C libraries and utilities, Cypress FX3 firmware, FPGA HDL, drivers, samples, and supporting documentation.

Project history

Nuand built bladeRF as an open source USB 3.0 software-defined radio platform, with the project repository carrying the host software, firmware, FPGA sources, and utilities needed to program and operate the boards. The README's quick start leads users from cloning the repository to installing libbladeRF and running `bladeRF-cli` against attached hardware.

The release history shows the host library evolving with the hardware. The 2016.06 release added clock and synchronization features, the 2018.08 line introduced libbladeRF v2.0 and bladeRF 2.0 Micro support, and later releases added packet mode, Wishbone-related features, 8-bit format mode, and continued FPGA/firmware updates.

Adoption history

libbladeRF is adopted primarily by SDR users who own bladeRF hardware, rather than by general networking software. Its package-manager presence matters because installing the host tools on macOS or Linux gives users `bladeRF-cli`, firmware update commands, and a C API without building the whole hardware support stack by hand.

How it is used

Users run `bladeRF-cli` to probe devices, inspect versions, load FPGA images, update firmware, configure RF parameters, and stream samples. Developers use libbladeRF as the host API for receive/transmit streaming and device control, while the repository also includes MATLAB, Simulink, Python, firmware, and FPGA pieces.

Why package nerds care

This is a hardware package wearing a Unix package's clothes. It has shared-library ABI concerns, command-line tools, firmware images, FPGA bitstreams, USB access, and calibration workflows, so it is exactly the kind of formula where package maintainers must respect both software dependencies and physical-device behavior.

Timeline

  • 2016: Release 2016.06 adds SMB clock control, synchronization trigger support, XB-300 support, and related firmware changes.
  • 2018: Release 2018.08 introduces libbladeRF v2.0 and bladeRF 2.0 Micro support.
  • 2020: Release 2020.12 adds packet mode support across libbladeRF, FX3 firmware, and FPGA logic.
  • 2021: Release 2021.10 adds Wishbone master core support and bladeRF 2.0 micro xA5 support.
  • 2023: Release 2023.02 adds 8-bit format mode and AD936x overclocking support.
  • 2025: Nuand's 2025.10 release post describes throughput, stability, and streaming upgrades for bladeRF 2.0 micro.

Related projects

  • bladeRF-cli, bladeRF-fsk, bladeRF-wiphy, GNU Radio-style SDR workflows, FPGA images, FX3 firmware, MATLAB and Python bindings, and out-of-tree radio cores are the closest ecosystem pieces.

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 2 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

CommandKindExposureNote
bladeRF-clicliglobal executable
bladeRF-fskcliglobal executable
bladeRF-powercliglobal executable
bladeRF-updatecliglobal 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 version2025.10
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/Nuand/bladeRF

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
  • infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/Nuand/bladeRFnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:libbladerf
Version2025.10
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libbladerf
Homepagehttps://nuand.com/
Repositoryhttps://github.com/Nuand/bladeRF
Upstream docshttps://nuand.com/libbladeRF-doc
LicenseGPL-2.0-or-later AND LGPL-2.1-or-later AND MIT
Source archivehttps://github.com/Nuand/bladeRF.git
Dependencieslibusb, ncurses
Build dependenciescmake, pkgconf
Uses from macOScurl, libedit
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namelibbladerf
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Head VersionHEAD
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • head
  • stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

libbladeRF

nix profile install nixpkgs#libbladeRF
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libbladerf
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libbladeRF/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • ncursesRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • cmakeBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • pkgconfBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • dump1090-faPopular package that depends on this formula.

Same workflow

  • readsbShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, radio, sdr.
  • rtl_433Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, radio, sdr.
  • soapyremoteShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, radio, sdr.
  • adnsShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, library, networking.
  • c-aresShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, library, networking.
  • curlShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, library, networking.

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.

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