Install lld with Homebrew, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman, zypper

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• ld.lld
• ld64.lld
• lld
• lld-link
• wasm-ld

Project history

lld developed as part of the broader LLVM toolchain. The official documentation describes it as a drop-in replacement for system linkers that runs much faster than traditional linkers and is useful for toolchain developers.

The lld documentation emphasizes several design choices that matter to compiler users: GNU-compatible command-line behavior for ELF, cross-linking support for all built targets, embeddability through lld::lldMain, default LTO support with clang, and a smaller codebase than GNU gold in the 2017 comparison.

The LLVM monorepo model means lld is released with LLVM rather than as a fully separate upstream project. Homebrew's lld formula builds the lld subproject from llvm-project release tarballs while depending on the matching LLVM package.

Adoption history

lld adoption followed clang and LLVM adoption: developers could select it through compiler-driver flags such as -fuse-ld=lld instead of replacing /usr/bin/ld directly.

It became especially attractive for large C/C++ builds, cross-compilation, WebAssembly, Windows COFF/PDB workflows, and LTO-heavy builds where linker speed and LLVM integration matter.

How it is used

The package installs linkers such as ld.lld, ld64.lld, lld-link, and wasm-ld. Unix users often reach it through clang's -fuse-ld=lld option, while Windows-style builds use lld-link and WebAssembly builds use wasm-ld.

For package-manager users, installing lld separately from a full compiler bundle can make it easier to test linker behavior, speed up builds, or build toolchains that intentionally mix compiler and linker components.

Why package nerds care

lld is a core systems package because a linker affects every compiled binary produced through a toolchain. Small packaging choices around version matching, bottle compatibility, and dependency edges can ripple into large build farms.

Homebrew packaging lld as its own formula, rather than only as part of llvm, reflects the Unix tradition of swapping toolchain components one piece at a time.

Timeline

• 2017: lld documentation compared lld/ELF with GNU gold and emphasized link-time performance and code-size differences.
• 2024: LLVM 19.1.0 release notes were published for the LLVM 19 release line.
• 2026: Homebrew formula metadata recorded lld built from llvm-project 22.1.8 release sources.

Related projects

• lld is part of llvm-project alongside LLVM, Clang, compiler-rt, libc++, MLIR, and other toolchain subprojects.
• It is related to GNU ld, GNU gold, mold, platform linkers such as Apple's ld64, and WebAssembly toolchains that use wasm-ld.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/llvm/llvm-project
• https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/lld
• https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project
• https://lld.llvm.org/
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/homebrew-core/master/Formula/l/lld.rb
• https://releases.llvm.org/19.1.0/docs/ReleaseNotes.html