# Install libcpucycles with Homebrew, apt, dnf, Nix Microlibrary for counting CPU cycles. Version 20260625 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-25. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:libcpucycles ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install libcpucycles ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install cpucycles ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: cpucycles from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install libcpucycles ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libcpucycles 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#libcpucycles ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libcpucycles/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:libcpucycles - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 20260625 - **Source summary:** Microlibrary for counting CPU cycles - **Homepage:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** LicenseRef-Homebrew-public-domain OR CC0-1.0 OR 0BSD OR MIT-0 OR MIT - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-25T22:50:15Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - cpucycles-info (cli) - cpucycles-open (cli) - cpucycles-info (alias) - cpucycles-open (alias) ## 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: 20260625 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-25 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://cpucycles.cr.yp.to/ - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage libcpucycles is a small timing library for counting CPU cycles across multiple CPU and operating-system counter mechanisms. It comes from the cr.yp.to ecosystem associated with Daniel J. Bernstein's performance-oriented cryptographic and systems software. ### Project history The official introduction describes libcpucycles as a microlibrary for cycle counting, with a simple API: include `cpucycles.h`, call `cpucycles()`, and link with `-lcpucycles`. The project abstracts machine-level counters such as amd64 TSC/PMC, ARM counters, RISC-V counters, and OS fallbacks such as `mach_absolute_time`, `perf_event`, `CLOCK_MONOTONIC`, and `gettimeofday`. The release notes visible in the 20250925 documentation show active portability work after the early 2023 tarballs, including s390x counter support, FreeBSD support, arm32-1176 support, a `cpucycles-info` man page, and macOS build fixes. ### Adoption history Adoption is concentrated among developers who need reproducible low-overhead timing for cryptography, benchmarking, and systems tuning. Its appearance in Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora-family packages, and Nix reflects a package-manager role as a tiny measurement primitive rather than an end-user application. ### How it is used Programmers use libcpucycles when they want an architecture-aware cycle counter without writing per-platform assembly and fallback code. Package users also get tools such as `cpucycles-info` and `cpucycles-open`, which help inspect available counters and support benchmarking workflows. ### Why package nerds care libcpucycles is package-nerd interesting because it packages the messy hardware reality of cycle counters into a minimal library. It is deliberately small, but its value is in the portability table: one dependency handles CPU families and OS timing APIs that would otherwise become build-system conditionals in every benchmark. ### Timeline - 2023-01-10: Release notes document `cpucycles_version()` and s390x counter work. - 2023-01-15: Release notes mention behavior alignment for `cpucycles_version()`. - 2024-01-14: Release notes add arm32-1176 counter support, FreeBSD support, and install/license documentation updates. - 2024-03-18: Release notes mention macOS porting fixes and the `cpucycles-info` man page. - 2025-09-25: Documentation tree published for libcpucycles-20250925. ### Related projects - Related projects include the broader cr.yp.to software family, architecture-specific cycle counters such as TSC and PMC, Linux `perf_event`, POSIX clocks, and benchmarking code in cryptographic libraries. ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes library-like package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - library-like package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** libcpucycles - **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 - cpucycles - 0~20240318-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: cpucycles from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | command-line tool for counting CPU cycles (libcpucycles) | https://cpucycles.cr.yp.to/ - Debian apt - libcpucycles-dev - 0~20240318-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libcpucycles-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | library for counting CPU cycles - development files | https://cpucycles.cr.yp.to/ - Debian apt - libcpucycles1 - 0~20240318-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libcpucycles1 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | library for counting CPU cycles | https://cpucycles.cr.yp.to/ - Nix - libcpucycles: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libcpucycles/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - cpucycles - 0~20240114-1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: cpucycles from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | command-line tool for counting CPU cycles (libcpucycles) | https://cpucycles.cr.yp.to/ - Ubuntu apt - libcpucycles-dev - 0~20240114-1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libcpucycles-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | library for counting CPU cycles - development files | https://cpucycles.cr.yp.to/ - Ubuntu apt - libcpucycles1 - 0~20240114-1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libcpucycles1 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | library for counting CPU cycles | https://cpucycles.cr.yp.to/ - dnf - libcpucycles - 20260105-1.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libcpucycles from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Library for counting CPU cycles | https://cpucycles.cr.yp.to/ - dnf - libcpucycles-devel - 20260105-1.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libcpucycles-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Development files for libcpucycles | https://cpucycles.cr.yp.to/ - dnf - libcpucycles-static - 20260105-1.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libcpucycles-static from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Static version of the libcpucycles library | https://cpucycles.cr.yp.to/ ## Related links - 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Shared terms: benchmarking, cli, open, performance, system. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/libcpucycles.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/libcpucycles.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