macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libeatmydatalocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install libeatmydata with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman, zypper
LD_PRELOAD library and wrapper to transparently disable fsync and related calls. Version 131 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add libeatmydataAlpine Linux edge package indexes · libeatmydata · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install eatmydataDebian stable package indexes · eatmydata · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install eatmydataFedora Rawhide package metadata · eatmydata · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#libeatmydatanixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/li/libeatmydata/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S libeatmydataArch Linux sync databases · libeatmydata · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install eatmydataopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · eatmydata · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
LD_PRELOAD library and wrapper to transparently disable fsync and related calls
Project links
Commands and aliases
- eatmydata
history
Project history and usage
libeatmydata is Stewart Smith's LD_PRELOAD library and `eatmydata` wrapper that deliberately turns durability operations such as fsync and O_SYNC into no-ops to make disposable test or build workloads faster.
Project history
The project page describes libeatmydata as a small LD_PRELOAD library, warns users not to use it where stored data matters, and notes a migration from an old Bazaar repository to GitHub. The GitHub README ties the project to Smith's linux.conf.au 2007 talk, 'Eat My Data: How Everybody gets File IO Wrong,' and says the talk covered common mistakes in POSIX file I/O.
The GitHub tags show historical releases libeatmydata-65 in September 2012, libeatmydata-82 in June 2013, libeatmydata-105 in November 2016, then v129 in April 2021, v130 in October 2021, and v131 in January 2023. The v130 release added a `syncfs()` wrapper, and v131 included macOS build and test fixes.
Adoption history
The official page notes that most Linux distributions package libeatmydata as `eatmydata`, and the README gives Debian/Ubuntu installation as `apt install eatmydata`. Its adoption is strongest in test suites, package builds, and other repeatable workloads where crash safety is intentionally traded away for speed.
How it is used
The normal usage is intentionally tiny: install the package and run `eatmydata foo`. The README and project page both stress the safety boundary: use it for testing or disposable work, not for programs whose on-disk data you care about.
Why package nerds care
libeatmydata is beloved package-nerd plumbing because it names the tradeoff honestly and exposes it as one wrapper command. It is especially useful for distribution builders and database test runners who understand that avoiding fsync is unsafe for production but valuable in controlled, throwaway environments.
Timeline
- 2007: Project originated from Stewart Smith's linux.conf.au talk on POSIX file I/O mistakes.
- 2012: libeatmydata-65 tag published.
- 2013: libeatmydata-82 tag published.
- 2016: libeatmydata-105 tag published.
- 2021: v129 and v130 releases published; v130 added syncfs wrapping.
- 2023: v131 release published with small fixes including macOS build and test work.
Related projects
- The project history references Bazaar, Launchpad, GitHub, Linux distribution packages named `eatmydata`, MySQL test-suite usage, and the POSIX file I/O APIs that the preload library intercepts.
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 8 platform targets.
- Build metadata lists 4 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
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
eatmydata | 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 version131
manager updated2026-06-22
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/stewartsmith/libeatmydata
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/stewartsmith/libeatmydatanone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:libeatmydata |
|---|---|
| Version | 131 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libeatmydata |
| Homepage | https://www.flamingspork.com/projects/libeatmydata/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/stewartsmith/libeatmydata |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/stewartsmith/libeatmydata#readme |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://github.com/stewartsmith/libeatmydata/releases/download/v131/libeatmydata-131.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-22T14:05:16-07:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Build dependencies | autoconf, autoconf-archive, automake, libtool |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, 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 | libeatmydata |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| 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%
eatmydata 131-2
Library and utilities designed to disable fsync and friends
https://www.flamingspork.com/projects/libeatmydata/
sudo apt install eatmydata- Section: utils
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: libeatmydata
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libeatmydata
Debian apt95%
libeatmydata1 131-2+b1
Library and utilities designed to disable fsync and friends - shared library
https://www.flamingspork.com/projects/libeatmydata/
sudo apt install libeatmydata1- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libeatmydata
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libeatmydata
Nix95%
libeatmydata
nix profile install nixpkgs#libeatmydata- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libeatmydata
Ubuntu apt95%
eatmydata 131-1ubuntu1
Library and utilities designed to disable fsync and friends
https://www.flamingspork.com/projects/libeatmydata/
sudo apt install eatmydata- Section: utils
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: libeatmydata
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libeatmydata
Ubuntu apt95%
libeatmydata1 131-1ubuntu1
Library and utilities designed to disable fsync and friends - shared library
https://www.flamingspork.com/projects/libeatmydata/
sudo apt install libeatmydata1- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libeatmydata
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libeatmydata
apk95%
libeatmydata 131-r7
LD_PRELOAD library and utility that disables all forms of writing data safely to disk
https://www.flamingspork.com/projects/libeatmydata/
sudo apk add libeatmydata- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libeatmydata
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libeatmydata
dnf95%
eatmydata 131-3.fc44
Utility to disable fsync() and friends for the command specified
https://www.flamingspork.com/projects/libeatmydata/
sudo dnf install eatmydata- License: GPL-3.0-only
- Category: Development/Tools
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libeatmydata
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libeatmydata
dnf95%
libeatmydata 131-3.fc44
Library and utilities designed to disable fsync and friends
https://www.flamingspork.com/projects/libeatmydata/
sudo dnf install libeatmydata- License: GPL-3.0-only
- Category: Development/Tools
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: libeatmydata
- 2 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libeatmydata
pacman95%
libeatmydata 131-2
Library and utilities designed to disable fsync and friends.
https://github.com/stewartsmith/libeatmydata
sudo pacman -S libeatmydata- License: GPL3
- Architecture: x86_64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libeatmydata
zypper92%
eatmydata 131-2.3
A library to disable fsync calls
https://www.flamingspork.com/projects/libeatmydata/
sudo zypper install eatmydata- License: GPL-3.0-only
- Category: Development/Tools/Other
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: eatmydata
- 3 dependencies
- 2 provides
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Eatmydata
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