# Install m4 with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, zypper Macro processing language. Version 1.4.21 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:m4 ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install m4 ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install m4 ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: devel/m4/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add m4 ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: m4 from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install m4 ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: m4 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install m4 ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: m4 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#m4 ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: m4 from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S m4 ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: m4 from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/core/os/x86_64/core.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install m4 ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: m4 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ### Windows - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install main/m4 ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/m4.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:m4 - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.4.21 - **Source summary:** Macro processing language - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - m4 (cli) - m4 (alias) ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sequoia, sonoma, tahoe, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.4.21 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.gnu.org/software/m4/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage GNU M4 is the GNU implementation of the traditional Unix `m4` macro processor. It expands built-in and user-defined macros while copying input to output and is used both directly and as infrastructure for other build tools. ### Project history The m4 lineage is older than GNU: the GNU manual traces macro-language ideas to 1950s and 1960s work by Alan Perlis, Doug McIlroy, Christopher Strachey, and Bell Labs macro processors such as GPM and M6. Kernighan and Ritchie developed the original `m4` at Bell Labs in 1977. GNU M4 was released by Rene Seindal in 1990 to remove artificial limits in many traditional implementations, including line length, macro size, and macro-count limits. Francois Pinard maintained GNU M4 in the early 1990s and released version 1.4 in 1994. After a long stable period, maintenance resumed with Paul Eggert, Gary V. Vaughan, Eric Blake, and later releases in the 1.4 series through 1.4.20. ### Adoption history The GNU manual notes that `m4` is widely available on Unix systems and standardized by POSIX. Many users install GNU M4 indirectly because GNU Autoconf requires it to generate configure scripts. The supplied package-manager facts show the package across Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Alpine, Nix, MacPorts, Scoop, and openSUSE, which matches its role as a baseline development dependency. ### How it is used GNU M4 can be invoked as `m4 [option...] [file...]`. It supports macro expansion, file inclusion, shell-command execution, arithmetic, text manipulation, and recursion. In package builds, direct human-written M4 macros are less common than Autoconf usage, but maintainers still care about GNU M4 compatibility because configure-generation failures often trace back to macro behavior. ### Why package nerds care GNU M4 is one of the quiet pieces of the Autotools stack: many source packages do not need it at runtime, but build-from-VCS workflows and autoreconf pipelines often need the GNU implementation. It matters to package maintainers because POSIX `m4`, vendor `m4`, and GNU M4 have historically differed in limits and extensions, and Autoconf intentionally standardized on GNU M4 to avoid those limitations. ### Timeline - 1977: Original Bell Labs m4 described by Kernighan and Ritchie - 1990: Rene Seindal released GNU M4 - 1994: GNU M4 1.4 released as a long-lived stable version - 2004: 1.4.1 and 1.4.2 addressed long-standing bugs - 2025: GNU M4 1.4.20 released ### Related projects - GNU Autoconf is one of GNU M4's biggest users and requires GNU M4 as its macro engine. - Traditional Unix m4 implementations, GPM, M6, M5, and Ratfor-related preprocessors are part of the historical macro-processor lineage. ### Sources - - - - - source_facts.package-manager ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** m4 - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** yes - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - m4 - 1.4.19-8: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: m4 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | macro processing language | https://www.gnu.org/software/m4/ - Debian apt - m4-doc - 1.4.19-8: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: m4-doc from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Documentation for GNU m4 | https://www.gnu.org/software/m4/ - Nix - m4: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: m4 from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix - Ubuntu apt - m4 - 1.4.19-4build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: m4 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | macro processing language | https://www.gnu.org/software/m4/ - Ubuntu apt - m4-doc - 1.4.19-4build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: m4-doc from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Documentation for GNU m4 | https://www.gnu.org/software/m4/ - apk - m4 - 1.4.20-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: m4 from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | GNU macro processor | https://www.gnu.org/software/m4 - apk - m4-doc - 1.4.20-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: m4-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | GNU macro processor (documentation) | https://www.gnu.org/software/m4 - dnf - m4 - 1.4.21-1.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: m4 from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | GNU macro processor | https://www.gnu.org/software/m4/ - pacman - m4 - 1.4.21-2: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: m4 from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/core/os/x86_64/core.db.tar.gz | The GNU macro processor | https://www.gnu.org/software/m4 - zypper - m4 - 1.4.21-1.2: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: m4 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | GNU m4 | https://www.gnu.org/software/m4/ - MacPorts - m4: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: devel/m4/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Scoop - main/m4: normalized package name match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/m4.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [Language runtime packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/language-runtime-packages/) - Matched language runtime, compiler, or interpreter metadata. - [autoconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/autoconf/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [crosstool-ng](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/crosstool-ng/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [libtool](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libtool/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [m-cli](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/m-cli/) - Package name indicates the same formula family. - [diffutils](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/diffutils/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, gnu, text-processing. - [enscript](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/enscript/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, gnu, text-processing. - [gawk](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gawk/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, gnu, text-processing. - [grep](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/grep/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, gnu, text-processing. - [wdiff](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/wdiff/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, gnu, text-processing. - [align](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/align/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, text-processing. - [angle-grinder](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/angle-grinder/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, text-processing. - [arm-linux-gnueabihf-binutils](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/arm-linux-gnueabihf-binutils/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, gnu. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/m4.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/m4.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