brew

Install liblockfile with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman, zypper

Library providing functions to lock standard mailboxes. Version 1.17 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install command Security notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install liblockfile

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add liblockfile

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · liblockfile · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install liblockfile-bin

Debian stable package indexes · liblockfile-bin · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install liblockfile

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · liblockfile · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#liblockfile

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

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S liblockfile

Arch Linux sync databases · liblockfile · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install liblockfile-devel

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · liblockfile-devel · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

Library providing functions to lock standard mailboxes

Project links

Commands and aliases

dotlockfile

history

Project history and usage

liblockfile is a small Unix system library and utility package for creating NFS-safe lockfiles, especially the dot-lock files traditionally used to protect mailboxes in /var/mail.

Project history

The upstream README describes liblockfile as an implementation of functions found in -lmail on SysV systems, extended with functions to create, manage, and remove generic lockfiles. Its locking algorithm uses a temporary file and link(2) to create lockfiles atomically, including workarounds for NFS server behavior.

The dotlockfile utility is documented as a command-line tool to create, test, touch, and remove lockfiles. Its name comes from the traditional mailbox convention of appending .lock to the mailbox path.

Adoption history

liblockfile has a long Debian packaging history and remains represented as Debian source package liblockfile, producing liblockfile-bin, liblockfile-dev, and liblockfile1. Its practical audience is mail tools, shell scripts, and legacy Unix software that need interoperable dot-locking rather than newer advisory-lock APIs.

How it is used

The library is used by programs that need NFS-safe lock creation. The dotlockfile command is used directly in scripts or as the setgid mail helper that lets mailbox-locking programs avoid carrying setgid mail themselves.

Why package nerds care

liblockfile is interesting because it packages an old but still sharp Unix portability problem: locking mail spools safely across local and NFS filesystems. It is small, unglamorous infrastructure that explains why some packages still ship helpers for mail-era filesystem semantics.

Timeline

2011: Changelog entry for liblockfile 1.09 recorded Debian bug fixes and cross-build cleanup.
2016: Upstream GitHub repository created on November 22, 2016.
2017: dotlockfile manual page dated January 10, 2017.
2019: liblockfile 1.16 simplified permission checking and quiet-mode behavior.
2021: liblockfile 1.17 added dotlockfile -P and -i options.

Related projects

The README names procmail, exim, and mutt as compatible NFS-safe lockfile users.
Debian packaging is maintained separately at the liblockfile-debian repository.

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 13 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
`dotlockfile`	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 version1.17

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/liblockfile

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/liblockfilenone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:liblockfile
Version	1.17
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/liblockfile
Homepage	https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/liblockfile
Repository	https://github.com/miquels/liblockfile
Upstream docs	https://github.com/miquels/liblockfile#readme
License	LGPL-2.0-or-later
Source archive	https://deb.debian.org/debian/pool/main/libl/liblockfile/liblockfile_1.17.orig.tar.gz
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, 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	liblockfile
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	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.

Debian apt95%

liblockfile-bin 1.17-2

support binaries for and cli utilities based on liblockfile

https://github.com/miquels/liblockfile

sudo apt install liblockfile-bin

Section: utils
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: liblockfile
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: liblockfile-bin from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Debian apt95%

liblockfile-dev 1.17-2

Development library for liblockfile

https://github.com/miquels/liblockfile

sudo apt install liblockfile-dev

Section: libdevel
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: liblockfile
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: liblockfile-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Debian apt95%

liblockfile1 1.17-2

NFS-safe locking library

https://github.com/miquels/liblockfile

sudo apt install liblockfile1

Section: libs
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: liblockfile
2 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: liblockfile1 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Nix95%

liblockfile

nix profile install nixpkgs#liblockfile

normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/liblockfile/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Ubuntu apt95%

liblockfile-bin 1.17-1build3

support binaries for and cli utilities based on liblockfile

https://github.com/miquels/liblockfile

sudo apt install liblockfile-bin

Section: utils
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: liblockfile
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: liblockfile-bin from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

Ubuntu apt95%

liblockfile-dev 1.17-1build3

Development library for liblockfile

https://github.com/miquels/liblockfile

sudo apt install liblockfile-dev

Section: libdevel
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: liblockfile
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: liblockfile-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

Ubuntu apt95%

liblockfile1 1.17-1build3

NFS-safe locking library

https://github.com/miquels/liblockfile

sudo apt install liblockfile1

Section: libs
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: liblockfile
2 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: liblockfile1 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

apk95%

liblockfile 1.17-r4

Shared library with NFS-safe locking functions

https://github.com/miquels/liblockfile

sudo apk add liblockfile

License: LGPL-2.0-or-later AND GPL-2.0-or-later
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: liblockfile
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: liblockfile from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

liblockfile-dev 1.17-r4

Shared library with NFS-safe locking functions (development files)

https://github.com/miquels/liblockfile

sudo apk add liblockfile-dev

License: LGPL-2.0-or-later AND GPL-2.0-or-later
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: liblockfile
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: liblockfile-dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

liblockfile-doc 1.17-r4

Shared library with NFS-safe locking functions (documentation)

https://github.com/miquels/liblockfile

sudo apk add liblockfile-doc

License: LGPL-2.0-or-later AND GPL-2.0-or-later
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: liblockfile
normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: liblockfile-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

liblockfile-static 1.17-r4

Shared library with NFS-safe locking functions (static library)

https://github.com/miquels/liblockfile

sudo apk add liblockfile-static

License: LGPL-2.0-or-later AND GPL-2.0-or-later
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: liblockfile
normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: liblockfile-static from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

dnf95%

liblockfile 1.17-12.fc44

This implements a number of functions found in -lmail on SysV systems

http://packages.qa.debian.org/libl/liblockfile.html

sudo dnf install liblockfile

License: GPL-2.0-or-later AND LGPL-2.0-or-later
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: i686
Source Package: liblockfile
3 dependencies
2 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: liblockfile from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

dnf95%

liblockfile-devel 1.17-12.fc44

Development files for liblockfile

http://packages.qa.debian.org/libl/liblockfile.html

sudo dnf install liblockfile-devel

License: GPL-2.0-or-later AND LGPL-2.0-or-later
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: i686
Source Package: liblockfile
2 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: liblockfile-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

pacman95%

liblockfile 1.17_2-1

a library with NFS-safe locking functions

https://packages.debian.org/unstable/libs/liblockfile1

sudo pacman -S liblockfile

License: GPL
Architecture: x86_64
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: liblockfile from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

zypper95%

liblockfile-devel 1.17-1.10

Development files for liblockfile

https://github.com/miquels/liblockfile

sudo zypper install liblockfile-devel

License: GPL-2.0-or-later AND LGPL-2.0-or-later
Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: liblockfile
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: liblockfile-devel from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

zypper95%

liblockfile1 1.17-1.10

Library with NFS-safe locking functions

https://github.com/miquels/liblockfile

sudo zypper install liblockfile1

License: GPL-2.0-or-later AND LGPL-2.0-or-later
Category: System/Libraries
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: liblockfile
2 dependencies
2 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Liblockfile

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: liblockfile1 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

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.

combined/liblockfile.yml

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

Install liblockfile with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman, zypper

Additional install commands

macOS

Linux

Package summary

Project links

Commands and aliases

Project history and usage

Project history

Adoption history

How it is used

Why package nerds care

Timeline

Related projects

Sources

Risk level: green

Risk classifier

Why

Signals

Install behavior

Recommended review

Installed executables

Version and freshness

Package metadata

Source database details

Other package-manager records

Internal package links

Topical hubs

Same workflow

Agent security guides

Generated from repository data

Combined YAML source

Used sources