# Install netmask with Homebrew, apt, dnf, Nix IP address netmask generation utility. Version 2.5.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-14. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:netmask ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install netmask ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install netmask ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: netmask from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install netmask ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: netmask 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#netmask ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ne/netmask/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:netmask - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.5.0 - **Source summary:** IP address netmask generation utility - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-2.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-05-14T20:19:44Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - netmask (cli) - netmask (alias) ## Dependencies - check ## Build dependencies - autoconf - autoconf-archive - automake - pkgconf - texinfo ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 2.5.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-05-14 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/tlby/netmask - Upstream latest detected: v2.5.0 (current) ## Project history and usage netmask is a tiny IPv4 network-mask formatting and range utility. The upstream README describes it as a handy tool for generating terse netmasks in common formats, cleaning up sloppy firewall rules, generalizing address ranges, and converting between netmask formats. ### Project history The available public history is thin. The GitHub repository is small, with 18 commits shown when checked, and GitHub listed 2.5.0 as the latest release on 2025-07-27. The source tree includes traditional Unix packaging artifacts such as a man page, Texinfo, Autotools files, Debian metadata, and tests. ### Adoption history Adoption is distro-tool level rather than ecosystem level. Debian packages it as `netmask` and describes it as a tiny program useful for firewalls, routers, and shell scripts; Homebrew packages version 2.5.0 and reported 247 installs over 365 days in its 2026-07-01 API output. ### How it is used Package users run `netmask` when they need to turn address ranges into the smallest set of masks or convert between common address/netmask notations. Debian's package description explicitly calls out firewall and router work, plus use as a helper from shell scripts. This is not a service and not a library in the package-manager sense. Its value is that it is faster and less error-prone than doing subnet arithmetic by hand while editing firewall rules or migration scripts. ### Why package nerds care netmask is the kind of small C utility that package indexes keep because network admins occasionally need it and because it has a stable, well-bounded job. The history is not rich enough to justify a high-confidence origin story. ### Timeline - 2025-07-27: GitHub listed 2.5.0 as the latest release. - 2026-07-01: Homebrew formula API reported version 2.5.0 and 247 installs over 365 days. ### Related projects - ipcalc - gip - firewall rule tooling ### Sources - - - ## Security Notes No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for netmask. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL. ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** netmask - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - netmask - 2.4.4-4: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: netmask from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | helps determine network masks | https://github.com/tlby/netmask - Nix - netmask: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ne/netmask/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - netmask - 2.4.4-4build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: netmask from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | helps determine network masks | https://github.com/tlby/netmask - dnf - netmask - 2.5.0-3.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: netmask from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Utility for determining network masks | https://github.com/tlby/netmask ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [check](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/check/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [autoconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/autoconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [automake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/automake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [mapcidr](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mapcidr/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, ip-addressing, networking, subnet. - [cidr](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cidr/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, ip-addressing, networking. - [cidr2range](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cidr2range/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, ip-addressing, networking. - [cidrmerge](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cidrmerge/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, ip-addressing, networking. - [ipinfo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ipinfo/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, ip-addressing, networking, subnet. - [prips](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/prips/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, ip-addressing, networking. - [sipcalc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sipcalc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, ip-addressing, networking. - [ipcalc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ipcalc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, netmask, networking, subnet. - [ip6](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/npm/ip6/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: address, addressing, cli, ip-addressing, networking. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/netmask.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/netmask.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