install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install sparkey

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install sparkey

MacPorts ports tree · databases/sparkey/Portfile · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Constant key-value store, best for frequent read/infrequent write uses

Project links

Commands and aliases

sparkey
sparkey_bench

history

Project history and usage

Sparkey is Spotify's simple persistent key-value storage library and CLI for read-heavy systems with infrequent bulk writes. It is intentionally not a distributed database; it is closer to an immutable on-disk hash table.

Project history

The public repository was created in 2013. The official README says Sparkey came out of Spotify hackdays, motivated by services that needed to serve large static data sets with high throughput and low latency after limits in earlier storage choices became problematic.

Adoption history

Sparkey's README documents use inside Spotify for user-facing services backed by periodically generated static storage files. Public packaging is narrower than general-purpose CLIs, but the supplied input shows entries in Homebrew and MacPorts, which fits a C library plus utility used by developers who need local tooling.

How it is used

Developers build it with the GNU build system, optionally generate API docs with Doxygen, and use the C library or the `sparkey` utility to inspect and read Sparkey index/log files. The design uses append-only log files and immutable hash index files optimized for bulk creation and concurrent independent readers.

Why package nerds care

Sparkey appeals to package and systems people because it is deliberately small, file-format-oriented infrastructure: a C library, command-line utility, Java and Python bindings, and explicit tradeoffs around immutability, compression, mmap-style serving, and bulk regeneration rather than online mutation.

Timeline

2013: Public GitHub repository created.
2010s: README records Sparkey's origin in Spotify hackdays and production-oriented static-data serving use cases.
2020s: Supplied package-manager data lists Homebrew and MacPorts packages.

Related projects

The official README lists spotify/sparkey-python and spotify/sparkey-java, and compares Sparkey's motivation against earlier use of CDB and Tokyo Cabinet.

Sources

https://api.github.com/repos/spotify/sparkey
https://github.com/spotify/sparkey
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/spotify/sparkey/master/README.md
input.source_facts.package-manager

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 13 platform targets.
Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
Build metadata lists 3 build 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
`sparkey`	cli	global executable
`sparkey_bench`	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 generated2026-07-08

manager version1.0.0

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedsparkey-1.0.0

https://github.com/spotify/sparkey

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:sparkey
Version	1.0.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/sparkey
Homepage	https://github.com/spotify/sparkey/
Repository	https://github.com/spotify/sparkey
Upstream docs	https://github.com/spotify/sparkey#readme
License	Apache-2.0
Source archive	https://github.com/spotify/sparkey/archive/refs/tags/sparkey-1.0.0.tar.gz
Dependencies	snappy
Build dependencies	autoconf, automake, libtool
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

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

MacPorts95%

sparkey

sudo port install sparkey

normalized package name match
Matched by: Sparkey

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: databases/sparkey/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

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/sparkey.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 sparkey with Homebrew, MacPorts