# 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

```sh
sudo av install brew:spack
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install spack
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Linux

- zypper (92%):

```sh
sudo zypper install spack
```

  Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: spack from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:spack
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Package manager page:** <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/spack>
- **Version:** 1.2.1
- **Source summary:** Package manager that builds multiple versions and configurations of software
- **Homepage:** <https://spack.io>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/spack/spack>
- **Upstream docs:** <https://spack.io/>
- **License:** Apache-2.0 OR MIT
- **Source archive:** <https://github.com/spack/spack/archive/refs/tags/v1.2.1.tar.gz>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-07T20:34:29Z
- **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00

## Executables

- sbang (cli)
- spack (cli)
- spack-python (cli)
- spack-tmpconfig (cli)
- sbang (alias)
- spack (alias)
- spack-python (alias)
- spack-tmpconfig (alias)

## Uses from macOS

- python

## Install behavior

- Post-install hook: not defined
- Bottle: available on all

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-07-08
- Package-manager version: 1.2.1
- Package-manager updated: 2026-07-07
- Local data: ok
- Upstream repository: https://github.com/spack/spack
- Upstream latest detected: v1.2.1 (current)
## 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.

### Sources

- <https://api.github.com/repos/spack/spack>
- <https://github.com/spack/spack>
- <https://spack.readthedocs.io/en/latest/configuration.html>
- <https://spack.readthedocs.io/en/latest/getting_started.html>
- input.source_facts.package-manager


## Security Notes

infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.

- **Geiger risk:** orange / medium
- infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal


## 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

- Unix: ~/.spack/config.yaml, ~/.spack/packages.yaml, spack.yaml
## Source Database Details

- **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API
- **Tap:** homebrew/core
- **Full Name:** spack
- **Version Scheme:** 0
- **Revision:** 0
- **Head Version:** HEAD
- **Bottle Stable Root URL:** <https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core>
- **Deprecated:** no
- **Disabled:** no
- **Keg Only:** no
- **URL Keys:** head, stable

## Other Package-Manager Records

- zypper - spack - 0.23.1-2.3: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: spack from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Package manager for HPC systems | https://spack.io
- zypper - spack-build-dependencies - 0.23.1-2.3: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: spack-build-dependencies from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Spack Build Dependencies | https://spack.io
- zypper - spack-info - 0.23.1-2.4: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: spack-info from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Info Page for Spack - Package manager for HPC systems | https://spack.io
- zypper - spack-man - 0.23.1-2.4: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: spack-man from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Man Page for Spack - Package manager for HPC systems | https://spack.io
- zypper - spack-recipes - 0.23.1-2.3: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: spack-recipes from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Spack built-in package recipes | https://spack.io


## Related links

- [Package publisher tools](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/package-publishers/) - Belongs to a package publishing or registry command family.
- [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals.
- [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata.
- [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata.
- [akku](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/akku/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, package-manager.
- [bower](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bower/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, package-manager.
- [cabal-install](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cabal-install/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, package-manager.
- [clib](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clib/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, package-manager.
- [composer](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/composer/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, package-manager.
- [conan](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/conan/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, package-manager.
- [conda-lock](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/conda-lock/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, package-manager.
- [corepack](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/corepack/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, package-management, package-manager.
- [dub](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dub/) - Local metadata places this package in an adjacent workflow. Shared terms: build, build-tools, cli, developer, developer-tools.

## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/spack.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/spack.yml)


## Sources

- Nucleus package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- package-page enrichment
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- 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