brew

Install ngspice with Homebrew, apk, chocolatey, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper, scoop

Spice circuit simulator. Version 46 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-25.

Install command Security notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install ngspice

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install ngspice

MacPorts ports tree · science/ngspice/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add ngspice

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · ngspice · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install ngspice

Debian stable package indexes · ngspice · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install ngspice

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · ngspice · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#ngspice

nixpkgs package indexes · ngspice · source: raw.githubusercontent.com

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S ngspice

Arch Linux sync databases · ngspice · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install ngspice

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

Windows

Chocolateyverified · 92%

choco install ngspice

Chocolatey community package catalog · ngspice · source: community.chocolatey.org

Scoopverified · 92%

scoop install extras/ngspice

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/ngspice.json · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Spice circuit simulator

Project links

Commands and aliases

ngspice

history

Project history and usage

ngspice is the open-source continuation of the Berkeley SPICE circuit-simulation lineage. It is a command-line and library-capable simulator for analog, digital, mixed-signal, and mixed-level electronic circuits, with a long release history and broad packaging across Unix-like systems, Windows channels, and EDA workflows.

Project history

The ngspice manual says the project is an update of Spice3f5, the last Berkeley release of the Spice3 simulator family, developed to add features and fix bugs. The same manual describes the project as assembled from Spice3f5, XSPICE, CIDER, and original ngspice material, with Paolo Nenzi's first manual preface dated March 24, 2001.

The project inherited Spice3 and CIDER from the University of California at Berkeley and XSPICE from Georgia Tech. Its early 2000s 'ng-spice-rework' releases show the transition from cleanup and bug fixing into a simulator with XSPICE mixed-signal support, CIDER mixed-level simulation, model updates, Windows/MINGW support, and broader portability.

Release 46 was distributed in March 2026; the version 46 manual is dated March 31, 2026. The SourceForge download page listed ngspice-46 as the latest release, and Homebrew packaged stable version 46 from SourceForge.

Adoption history

ngspice is the significant package in this batch. It is packaged by Homebrew, MacPorts, Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Nix, openSUSE, Chocolatey, Scoop, and Alpine-family repositories in the av.db input. Homebrew analytics on July 1, 2026 reported 2,500 install-on-request events over 365 days, and SourceForge showed weekly downloads for release 46 and old releases.

Its adoption is helped by compatibility rather than novelty. The project advertises SPICE compatibility, support for PSPICE/LTSPICE model parameters and netlists for discrete circuits, HSPICE device libraries from foundry PDKs for integrated circuits, and third-party schematic/simulation front ends. That makes it a common open simulation engine under GUI and scripted EDA workflows.

How it is used

The normal package-nerd use is to install `ngspice`, feed it a SPICE netlist from the command line, run DC, AC, transient, noise, pole-zero, sensitivity, distortion, S-parameter, or mixed-signal analyses, and inspect plots or raw output files. More advanced users build it as a shared library or integrate it through tools such as KiCad, Xschem, Qucs-S, PySpice, or Tcl/Tk-related tooling.

The practical reason people care about the package is that it is the free, scriptable SPICE engine that package managers can ship everywhere. It sits in a lineage older than most package ecosystems, but remains active because open PDKs, Verilog-A/OpenVAF model loading, mixed-signal code models, and simulator-library embedding keep generating new use cases.

Timeline

{'date': '2000-11-04', 'event': 'ng-spice-rework-13 release listed enhancements and bug fixes.'}
{'date': '2001-03-24', 'event': 'Paolo Nenzi dated the first ngspice manual preface.'}
{'date': '2004-01-27', 'event': 'ng-spice-rework-15 incorporated XSPICE, CIDER, numparam, model updates, and examples.'}
{'date': '2026-03-31', 'event': 'Version 46 manual date.'}

Related projects

Berkeley SPICE
Spice3f5
XSPICE
CIDER
KiCad
Xschem
Qucs-S
PySpice
OpenVAF

Sources

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 11 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.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`ngspice`	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 generated2026-07-10

manager version46

manager updated2026-06-25

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://ngspice.sourceforge.io/

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://ngspice.sourceforge.io/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:ngspice
Version	46
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ngspice
Homepage	https://ngspice.sourceforge.io/
Repository	https://sourceforge.net/p/ngspice/ngspice/ci/master/tree
Upstream docs	https://ngspice.sourceforge.io/docs.html
License	LicenseRef-Homebrew-cannot-represent
Source archive	https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/ngspice/ng-spice-rework/46/ngspice-46.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-06-25T13:37:57+02:00
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	fftw, freetype, libice, libngspice, libsm, libx11, libxaw, libxext, libxmu, libxt, readline
Uses from macOS	ncurses
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared
Caveats	If you need the graphical plotting functions you need to install X11 with: brew install --cask xquartz

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	ngspice
Version Scheme	0
Revision	1
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head 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%

libngspice0 44.2+ds-1

Spice circuit simulator - library

https://ngspice.sourceforge.io

sudo apt install libngspice0

Section: libs
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: ngspice
4 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: libngspice0 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Debian apt95%

libngspice0-dev 44.2+ds-1

Spice circuit simulator - development files for libngspice

https://ngspice.sourceforge.io

sudo apt install libngspice0-dev

Section: libdevel
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: ngspice
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: libngspice0-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Debian apt95%

ngspice 44.2+ds-1

Spice circuit simulator

https://ngspice.sourceforge.io

sudo apt install ngspice

Section: electronics
Architecture: amd64
11 dependencies
1 optional deps
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: ngspice from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Debian apt95%

ngspice-dev 44.2+ds-1

Spice circuit simulator - development files for ngspice and tclspice

https://ngspice.sourceforge.io

sudo apt install ngspice-dev

Section: libdevel
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: ngspice
2 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: ngspice-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Debian apt95%

ngspice-doc 44.2+ds-1

Documentation for the NGspice circuit simulator

https://ngspice.sourceforge.io

sudo apt install ngspice-doc

Section: doc
Architecture: all
Source Package: ngspice
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: ngspice-doc from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Debian apt95%

tclspice 44.2+ds-1

NGSpice library for Tcl

https://ngspice.sourceforge.io

sudo apt install tclspice

Section: libs
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: ngspice
9 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: tclspice from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Nix95%

ngspice

nix profile install nixpkgs#ngspice

normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

nixpkgs package indexes · raw.githubusercontent.com · nixpkgs package indexes: ngspice from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix

Ubuntu apt95%

libngspice0 42+ds-3build1

Spice circuit simulator - library

https://ngspice.sourceforge.io

sudo apt install libngspice0

Section: universe/libs
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: ngspice
4 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libngspice0 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

Ubuntu apt95%

libngspice0-dev 42+ds-3build1

Spice circuit simulator - development files for libngspice

https://ngspice.sourceforge.io

sudo apt install libngspice0-dev

Section: universe/libdevel
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: ngspice
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libngspice0-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

Ubuntu apt95%

ngspice 42+ds-3build1

Spice circuit simulator

https://ngspice.sourceforge.io

sudo apt install ngspice

Section: universe/electronics
Architecture: amd64
11 dependencies
1 optional deps
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: ngspice from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

Ubuntu apt95%

ngspice-dev 42+ds-3build1

Spice circuit simulator - development files for ngspice and tclspice

https://ngspice.sourceforge.io

sudo apt install ngspice-dev

Section: universe/libdevel
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: ngspice
2 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: ngspice-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

Ubuntu apt95%

ngspice-doc 42+ds-3build1

Documentation for the NGspice circuit simulator

https://ngspice.sourceforge.io

sudo apt install ngspice-doc

Section: universe/doc
Architecture: all
Source Package: ngspice
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: ngspice-doc from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

Ubuntu apt95%

tclspice 42+ds-3build1

NGSpice library for Tcl

https://ngspice.sourceforge.io

sudo apt install tclspice

Section: universe/electronics
Architecture: amd64
Source Package: ngspice
9 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: tclspice from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

apk95%

ngspice 46-r0

open source spice simulator for electric and electronic circuits

https://ngspice.sourceforge.net/

sudo apk add ngspice

License: BSD-3-Clause
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: ngspice
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: ngspice from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

ngspice-dev 46-r0

open source spice simulator for electric and electronic circuits (development files)

https://ngspice.sourceforge.net/

sudo apk add ngspice-dev

License: BSD-3-Clause
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: ngspice
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: ngspice-dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

ngspice-doc 46-r0

open source spice simulator for electric and electronic circuits (documentation)

https://ngspice.sourceforge.net/

sudo apk add ngspice-doc

License: BSD-3-Clause
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: ngspice
normalized package name match
Matched by: Ngspice

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: ngspice-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

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.

combined/ngspice.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install ngspice with Homebrew, apk, chocolatey, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper, scoop

Additional install commands

macOS

Linux

Windows

Package summary

Project links

Commands and aliases

Project history and usage

Project history

Adoption history

How it is used

Timeline

Related projects

Sources

Risk level: green

Risk classifier

Why

Signals

Install behavior

Recommended review

Installed executables

Version and freshness

Package metadata

Source database details

Other package-manager records

Internal package links

Topical hubs

Related tools

Same workflow

Agent security guides

Generated from repository data

Combined YAML source

Used sources