macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libvirtlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install libvirtMacPorts ports tree · sysutils/libvirt/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install libvirt with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper
C virtualization API. Version 12.5.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-01.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add libvirtAlpine Linux edge package indexes · libvirt · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install libnss-libvirtDebian stable package indexes · libnss-libvirt · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install libvirtFedora Rawhide package metadata · libvirt · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#libvirtnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/li/libvirt/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S libvirtArch Linux sync databases · libvirt · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install libvirtopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · libvirt · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
C virtualization API
Project links
Commands and aliases
- libvirtd
- virsh
- virt-admin
- virt-host-validate
- virt-login-shell
- virt-pki-query-dn
- virt-pki-validate
- virt-qemu-qmp-proxy
- virt-qemu-run
- virt-qemu-sev-validate
- virt-ssh-helper
- virt-xml-validate
- virtchd
- virtlockd
- virtlogd
- virtlxcd
- virtnetworkd
- virtnwfilterd
- virtproxyd
- virtqemud
- virtsecretd
- virtstoraged
- virtvboxd
history
Project history and usage
libvirt is the long-lived virtualization management API and daemon stack that gives tools a common way to manage domains, networks, storage, and host resources across hypervisors.
Project history
The project was created to provide a common and stable layer for managing virtualized domains on local or remote nodes. Its own goals page emphasizes API stability, secure remote management, resource enumeration, and the ability to insulate applications from frequent changes in lower-level virtualization frameworks.
libvirt became especially important as Linux virtualization consolidated around QEMU and KVM while still needing to interoperate with Xen, LXC, bhyve, VMware, VirtualBox, Hyper-V, and other backends. The project website describes a portable C API, stateful host daemons for some hypervisors, and language bindings layered on top of the core API.
Adoption history
The adoption story is unusually broad for a system library. The official applications page lists command-line tools, desktop applications, provisioning tools, monitoring systems, web applications, configuration-management integrations, backup tools, and infrastructure-as-a-service stacks using the libvirt API.
For package managers, libvirt is not just a library dependency; it is an ecosystem root. Installing it can bring daemons such as libvirtd or modular virt* daemons, virsh, validation tools, NSS integration packages, storage and network drivers, language bindings, and downstream tools such as virt-manager, virt-install, Vagrant providers, and cloud or CI integrations.
How it is used
Administrators commonly use virsh and libvirt daemons to define, start, stop, migrate, inspect, and automate virtual machines and container-like domains. Application developers use the API and bindings to build higher-level management tools while avoiding direct hypervisor-specific control protocols.
On developer workstations it is often the package behind local KVM/QEMU workflows; on servers it is the control plane layer used by provisioning, monitoring, and orchestration software that needs stable VM lifecycle operations.
Why package nerds care
libvirt is package-nerd famous because it sits at the junction of init systems, daemon socket activation, TLS and PKI material, kernel capabilities, QEMU/KVM feature flags, storage pools, virtual networking, and language bindings. It is the sort of dependency whose packaging details define whether virtualization feels boring or impossible.
It also illustrates why stable C APIs matter in infrastructure: a large ecosystem of frontends can keep working while hypervisors, host operating systems, and security models change underneath.
Timeline
- 2005: Early libvirt releases began the public release history recorded by the project news archive.
- 2012: The 1.0 series marked libvirt as a mature cross-hypervisor management layer.
- 2021-01-15: libvirt 7.0.0 release notes recorded a formal handover of release tarball signing.
- 2026-07-01: The project website listed support for QEMU/KVM, Xen, LXC, bhyve, VMware, Hyper-V, VirtualBox, macOS Hypervisor.framework, and other drivers.
Related projects
- QEMU and KVM are among the most common backends managed through libvirt.
- Xen, LXC, bhyve, VMware ESX/vCenter, Hyper-V, VirtualBox, Virtuozzo, and POWER Hypervisor are supported or related virtualization targets.
- virt-manager, virt-install, guestfish, vagrant-libvirt, and many monitoring and provisioning tools sit above the libvirt API.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: orange
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. formula declares a Homebrew service.
Risk classifier
orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
- formula declares a Homebrew service
- generalized runtime or code generation signal
- infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal
Signals
- metadata:service
- text:network,ssh
- text:shell
- text:virtualization
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Formula metadata declares a service or daemon block.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 7 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 5 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.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
/etc/libvirt/libvirtd.conf/etc/libvirt/libvirt.conf$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/libvirt/libvirt.conf
Credential files
Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.
- Unix
/etc/pki/CA/cacert.pem/etc/pki/libvirt/servercert.pem/etc/pki/libvirt/private/serverkey.pem
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
libvirtd | cli | global executable | |
virsh | cli | global executable | |
virt-admin | cli | global executable | |
virt-host-validate | cli | global executable | |
virt-login-shell | cli | global executable | |
virt-pki-query-dn | cli | global executable | |
virt-pki-validate | cli | global executable | |
virt-qemu-qmp-proxy | cli | global executable | |
virt-qemu-run | cli | global executable | |
virt-qemu-sev-validate | cli | global executable | |
virt-ssh-helper | cli | global executable | |
virt-xml-validate | cli | global executable | |
virtchd | cli | global executable | |
virtlockd | cli | global executable | |
virtlogd | cli | global executable | |
virtlxcd | cli | global executable | |
virtnetworkd | cli | global executable | |
virtnwfilterd | cli | global executable | |
virtproxyd | cli | global executable | |
virtqemud | cli | global executable | |
virtsecretd | cli | global executable | |
virtstoraged | cli | global executable | |
virtvboxd | 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 version12.5.0
manager updated2026-07-01
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://libvirt.org/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:libvirt |
|---|---|
| Version | 12.5.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libvirt |
| Homepage | https://libvirt.org/ |
| Repository | https://gitlab.com/libvirt/libvirt |
| Upstream docs | https://libvirt.org/docs |
| License | LGPL-2.1-or-later AND GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://download.libvirt.org/libvirt-12.5.0.tar.xz |
| Last updated | 2026-07-01T13:25:25Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | gettext, glib, gnutls, json-c, libiscsi, libssh2, readline |
| Build dependencies | docutils, gettext, meson, ninja, pkgconf |
| Uses from macOS | curl, libxml2 |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | libvirt |
| 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%
libnss-libvirt 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization library - NSS plugins
sudo apt install libnss-libvirt- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libvirt
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
Debian apt95%
libvirt-clients 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization library - clients
sudo apt install libvirt-clients- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libvirt
- 10 dependencies
- 3 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
Debian apt95%
libvirt-clients-qemu 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization library - clients (QEMU specific)
sudo apt install libvirt-clients-qemu- Section: admin
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: libvirt
- 6 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
Debian apt95%
libvirt-common 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization library - common files
sudo apt install libvirt-common- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libvirt
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
Debian apt95%
libvirt-daemon 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization daemon
https://libvirt.org/daemons.html#monolithic-driver-daemon
sudo apt install libvirt-daemon- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libvirt
- 10 dependencies
- 22 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
Debian apt95%
libvirt-daemon-common 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization daemon - common files
sudo apt install libvirt-daemon-common- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libvirt
- 13 dependencies
- 4 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
Debian apt95%
libvirt-daemon-config-network 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization daemon - configuration files (default network)
sudo apt install libvirt-daemon-config-network- Section: admin
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: libvirt
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
Debian apt95%
libvirt-daemon-config-nwfilter 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization daemon - configuration files (default network filters)
sudo apt install libvirt-daemon-config-nwfilter- Section: admin
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: libvirt
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
Debian apt95%
libvirt-daemon-driver-interface 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization daemon - interface driver
sudo apt install libvirt-daemon-driver-interface- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libvirt
- 7 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
Debian apt95%
libvirt-daemon-driver-lxc 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization daemon - LXC connection driver
https://libvirt.org/drvlxc.html
sudo apt install libvirt-daemon-driver-lxc- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libvirt
- 14 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
Debian apt95%
libvirt-daemon-driver-network 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization daemon - network driver
https://libvirt.org/formatnetwork.html
sudo apt install libvirt-daemon-driver-network- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libvirt
- 9 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
Debian apt95%
libvirt-daemon-driver-nodedev 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization daemon - node device (nodedev) driver
https://libvirt.org/drvnodedev.html
sudo apt install libvirt-daemon-driver-nodedev- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libvirt
- 9 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
Debian apt95%
libvirt-daemon-driver-nwfilter 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization daemon - network filter (nwfilter) driver
https://libvirt.org/formatnwfilter.html
sudo apt install libvirt-daemon-driver-nwfilter- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libvirt
- 8 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
Debian apt95%
libvirt-daemon-driver-qemu 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization daemon - QEMU connection driver
https://libvirt.org/drvqemu.html
sudo apt install libvirt-daemon-driver-qemu- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libvirt
- 17 dependencies
- 4 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
Debian apt95%
libvirt-daemon-driver-secret 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization daemon - secret driver
https://libvirt.org/drvsecret.html
sudo apt install libvirt-daemon-driver-secret- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libvirt
- 6 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
Debian apt95%
libvirt-daemon-driver-storage 11.3.0-3+deb13u2
virtualization daemon - storage driver
https://libvirt.org/storage.html
sudo apt install libvirt-daemon-driver-storage- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: libvirt
- 11 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Libvirt
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 configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment