Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install spack with Homebrew, zypper

Package manager that builds multiple versions and configurations of software. Version 1.2.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-07.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install spack

local Homebrew formula metadata

overview

Package summary

Package manager that builds multiple versions and configurations of software

Commands and aliases

  • sbang
  • spack
  • spack-python
  • spack-tmpconfig

history

Project history and usage

Spack is a source-based, multi-platform package manager best known in high-performance and scientific computing. Its niche is letting users install many versions, compiler builds, variants, and dependency graphs side by side without overwriting an existing installation.

Project history

The public GitHub repository was created in 2014. The project describes itself as a package manager for Linux, macOS, Windows, and supercomputers, with package recipes written in Python and a spec syntax for expressing versions, compilers, variants, and dependency choices.

Adoption history

Spack grew around environments where system package managers and language package managers were too rigid for research software stacks. Its official README and documentation emphasize stable releases for multi-user site deployments, a community package repository, and communication channels for package authors, site administrators, and users.

How it is used

Typical use starts by cloning Spack, sourcing its shell setup script, finding compilers, and running commands such as `spack list`, `spack spec`, and `spack install`. Configuration is YAML-based, with user configuration under `~/.spack/` and project environments described by `spack.yaml`.

Why package nerds care

Package nerds care about Spack because it treats the dependency graph as something to solve, reproduce, and vary, not just a flat list of packages. It made HPC packaging culture more explicit: variants, compiler ABI choices, MPI providers, build caches, environment manifests, and site policy all become first-class package-manager concerns.

Timeline

  • 2014: Public GitHub repository created.
  • 2020s: Documentation emphasizes stable releases, environment manifests, build caches, and large multi-user deployments.

Related projects

  • Spack overlaps culturally with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, EasyBuild, Conda, and environment modules, but is especially oriented toward source builds and combinatorial scientific software stacks.

security posture

Risk level: orange

infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.

Risk classifier

orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure

Why

  • infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal

Signals

  • text:package manager

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.

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
~/.spack/config.yaml~/.spack/packages.yamlspack.yaml

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
sbangcliglobal executable
spackcliglobal executable
spack-pythoncliglobal executable
spack-tmpconfigcliglobal 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 version1.2.1
manager updated2026-07-07
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv1.2.1

https://github.com/spack/spack

  • okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:spack
Version1.2.1
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/spack
Homepagehttps://spack.io
Repositoryhttps://github.com/spack/spack
Upstream docshttps://spack.io/
LicenseApache-2.0 OR MIT
Source archivehttps://github.com/spack/spack/archive/refs/tags/v1.2.1.tar.gz
Last updated2026-07-07T20:34:29Z
Pulseupdated
Uses from macOSpython
Bottleavailable (on all)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

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

zypper95%

spack 0.23.1-2.3

Package manager for HPC systems

https://spack.io

sudo zypper install spack
  • License: Apache-2.0 AND MIT AND Python-2.0 AND BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: spack
  • 25 dependencies
  • 3 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Spack
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: spack from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

spack-build-dependencies 0.23.1-2.3

Spack Build Dependencies

https://spack.io

sudo zypper install spack-build-dependencies
  • License: Apache-2.0 AND MIT AND Python-2.0 AND BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: spack
  • 10 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Spack
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: spack-build-dependencies from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

spack-info 0.23.1-2.4

Info Page for Spack - Package manager for HPC systems

https://spack.io

sudo zypper install spack-info
  • License: Apache-2.0 AND MIT AND Python-2.0 AND BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: spack
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Spack
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: spack-info from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

spack-man 0.23.1-2.4

Man Page for Spack - Package manager for HPC systems

https://spack.io

sudo zypper install spack-man
  • License: Apache-2.0 AND MIT AND Python-2.0 AND BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: spack
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Spack
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: spack-man from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

spack-recipes 0.23.1-2.3

Spack built-in package recipes

https://spack.io

sudo zypper install spack-recipes
  • License: Apache-2.0 AND MIT AND Python-2.0 AND BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: spack
  • 4 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Spack
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: spack-recipes 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.

Same workflow

  • akkuShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, package-manager.
  • bowerShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, package-manager.
  • cabal-installShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, package-manager.
  • clibShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, package-manager.
  • composerShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, package-manager.
  • conanShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, package-manager.

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