Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install modules with Homebrew, apt, zypper

Dynamic modification of a user's environment via modulefiles. Version 5.6.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install modules

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install environment-modules

Debian stable package indexes · environment-modules · source: deb.debian.org

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install Modules

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · Modules · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

Dynamic modification of a user's environment via modulefiles

Commands and aliases

  • add.modules
  • envml
  • mkroot
  • modulecmd

history

Project history and usage

Environment Modules began in 1991 with John L. Furlani's paper "Modules: Providing a Flexible User Environment," written at Sun Microsystems to solve a practical Unix administration problem: users and admins needed a cleaner way to add, remove, and switch application-specific environment settings without constantly editing shell startup files. The original design wrapped environment changes into named modulefiles and exposed them through a single module command, so software setup could be loaded, unloaded, or swapped during a shell session.

Project history

The project moved through several implementations. Project history presented by the Environment Modules maintainers describes versions 1 and 2 under Furlani, version 3.0 under Peter W. Osel and Jens Hamisch, the Linux/GPL 3.1 and 3.2 line under R.K. Owen at NERSC, and the pure Tcl modulecmd.tcl work by Mark Lakata and Kent Mein. Xavier Delaruelle at CEA became project leader in 2017 and led the version 4 and version 5 line based on the Tcl implementation.

Adoption history

Its role is strongest in high-performance computing and multi-user Unix environments. Modulefiles let sites publish many versions of compilers, MPI stacks, libraries, tools, and data endpoints while users keep a consistent command interface across shells. The project documentation shows typical use through commands such as module load, module switch, and module unload, and the HPSF announcement describes the module command as a familiar interface for supercomputer users accessing a software catalog.

How it is used

Environment Modules shares its niche with Lmod, the Lua-based module implementation that became especially prominent while Environment Modules development was on hiatus. The revived Tcl-based project added collections, dependency handling, advanced version specifiers, module variants, Lmod Tcl modulefile compatibility, Windows shell support, linting, logging, and cache support. In 2025, Modules moved under the High Performance Software Foundation within the Linux Foundation, giving the long-running HPC environment tool a formal neutral governance home.

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

  • narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

  • metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
  • Installs with 1 runtime 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/environment-modules/initrc/etc/environment-modules/modulespath/etc/environment-modules/siteconfig.tcl/etc/environment-modules/rc~/.modulerc<modulepath>/.modulerc

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
add.modulescliglobal executable
envmlcliglobal executable
mkrootcliglobal executable
modulecmdcliglobal 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 version5.6.1
manager updated2026-06-22
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://modules.sourceforge.net/

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:modules
Version5.6.1
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/modules
Homepagehttps://modules.sourceforge.net/
Repositoryhttps://github.com/envmodules/modules
Upstream docshttps://github.com/envmodules/modules#readme
LicenseGPL-2.0-or-later
Source archivehttps://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/modules/Modules/modules-5.6.1/modules-5.6.1.tar.bz2
Last updated2026-06-22T14:05:31-07:00
Pulseupdated
Dependenciestcl-tk
Uses from macOSless
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared
CaveatsTo activate modules, add the following at the end of your .zshrc: source $HOMEBREW_PREFIX/opt/modules/init/zsh You will also need to restart your terminal for this change to take effect.

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namemodules
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
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%

environment-modules 5.5.0-1

Modular system for handling environment variables

http://modules.sourceforge.net/

sudo apt install environment-modules
  • Section: devel
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: modules
  • 5 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Modules
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: environment-modules from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Ubuntu apt95%

environment-modules 5.4.0-1

Modular system for handling environment variables

http://modules.sourceforge.net/

sudo apt install environment-modules
  • Section: universe/devel
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: modules
  • 5 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Modules
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: environment-modules from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
zypper95%

Modules 4.8.0-4.4

Change environment at runtime

http://modules.sourceforge.net/

sudo zypper install Modules
  • License: GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Category: System/Management
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: Modules
  • 8 dependencies
  • 4 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Modules
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: Modules from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

Modules-doc 4.8.0-4.4

Documentation for Environment Modules

http://modules.sourceforge.net/

sudo zypper install Modules-doc
  • License: GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Category: Documentation/Other
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: Modules
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Modules
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: Modules-doc from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • tcl-tkRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • direnvShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, environment-management, shell.
  • shadowenvShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, environment-management, shell.
  • virtualenvwrapperShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, environment-management, shell.
  • fadesShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, environment-management.
  • hermitShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, environment-management.
  • pyenv-pip-migrateShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, environment-management.

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.

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