# Install nq with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix Unix command-line queue utility. Version 1.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install nq. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:nq ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install nq ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install nq ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/nq/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add nq ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: nq from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install nq ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: nq from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install nq ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: nq 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#nq ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/nq/nq/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:nq - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.0 - **Source summary:** Unix command-line queue utility - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** CC0-1.0 - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-26T07:20:29+00:00 ## Executables - nq (cli) - nqtail (cli) - nqterm (cli) - nq (alias) - nqtail (alias) - nqterm (alias) ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-26 - Package-manager version: 1.0 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/leahneukirchen/nq - Upstream latest detected: v1.0 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## Project history and usage nq is a tiny Unix command-line queue utility by Leah Neukirchen. Its GitHub repository was created on 2015-07-31, and its first listed tag, v0.1, points to a commit dated 2015-08-28. ### Project history The README positions nq as a set of small utilities for lightweight job queues with no setup, maintenance, supervision, or long-running daemon. It depends on POSIX.1-2008 behavior plus flock(2), and the README records testing across Linux, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, NetBSD, Mac OS X, and SmartOS. The design is deliberately Unixy: jobs are represented by timestamp/PID log files, ordering is enforced with file locks, output is redirected to the job file, and environment variable NQDIR can move queues out of the current directory. The v1.0 tag points to a 2024-07-03 commit that renamed fq to nqtail and tq to nqterm because another fq project created packaging conflicts. ### Adoption history nq has more mindshare than its tiny code size suggests. The GitHub metadata consulted for this batch reported about 3.1k stars and 70 forks, and the input record shows packages across Alpine, Homebrew, Debian, Fedora/DNF, MacPorts, Nix, and Ubuntu. Homebrew analytics reported only 52 installs over its 365-day window, so Homebrew is not the best measure of its audience. Its broader adoption signal is distro packaging and repeated mentions in command-line communities as a no-daemon alternative to heavier queue systems or ad hoc nohup chains. ### How it is used Practical use is simple: prefix a long-running command with nq, get a job id, and let it run in the background in queue order. Users inspect output with nqtail, wait with nq -w, test pending jobs with nq -t, kill by PID-like filename conventions, and set NQDIR when they want named queues. Package nerds like nq because it solves a real shell annoyance without a service, config file, database, or scheduler. It is especially handy for serializing downloads, builds, benchmark runs, or one-off maintenance commands on machines where installing and supervising a queue daemon would be silly. ### Why package nerds care nq is significant as a minimal Unix tool: it uses filesystem locks and process semantics instead of owning an infrastructure layer. That makes it attractive to users who prefer composable command-line primitives. ### Timeline - 2015-07-31: GitHub repository leahneukirchen/nq created. - 2015-08-28: v0.1 tag commit date. - 2024-07-03: v1.0 tag commit renames fq to nqtail and tq to nqterm to avoid packaging conflicts. ### Related projects - task-spooler - nohup - flock - tmux - screen ### Sources - - - - - - ## 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:** nq - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - nq - 1.0-0.2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: nq from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Lightweight queue system | https://git.vuxu.org/nq/about/ - Nix - nq: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/nq/nq/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - nq - 0.3.1-4: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: nq from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Lightweight queue system | https://git.vuxu.org/nq/about/ - apk - nq - 1.0-r2: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: nq from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Unix command line queue utility | https://github.com/leahneukirchen/nq - apk - nq-doc - 1.0-r2: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: nq-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Unix command line queue utility (documentation) | https://github.com/leahneukirchen/nq - dnf - nq - 1.0-5.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: nq from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Unix command line queue utility | https://github.com/leahneukirchen/nq - MacPorts - nq: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/nq/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## 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. - [bash](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bash/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, shell, system, unix. - [dash-shell](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dash-shell/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, shell, system, unix. - [etsh](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/etsh/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, shell, system, unix. - [tcsh](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/tcsh/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, shell, system, unix. - [yash](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/yash/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, shell, system, unix. - [agedu](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/agedu/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, unix. - [ansiweather](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ansiweather/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, shell, system. - [archey4](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/archey4/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, system, unix. - [pueue](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pueue/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, command-line, line, queue, shell. - [clifm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clifm/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, command-line, line, shell, system. - [xclip](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xclip/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, command-line, line, system, unix. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/nq.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/nq.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