# Install sparkey with Homebrew, MacPorts

Constant key-value store, best for frequent read/infrequent write uses. Version 1.0.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:sparkey
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install sparkey
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install sparkey
```

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

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:sparkey
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Package manager page:** <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/sparkey>
- **Version:** 1.0.0
- **Source summary:** Constant key-value store, best for frequent read/infrequent write uses
- **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>
- **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00

## Executables

- sparkey (cli)
- sparkey_bench (cli)
- sparkey (alias)
- sparkey_bench (alias)

## Dependencies

- snappy

## Build dependencies

- autoconf
- automake
- libtool

## Install behavior

- Post-install hook: not defined
- Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-07-08
- Package-manager version: 1.0.0
- Local data: ok
- Upstream repository: https://github.com/spotify/sparkey
- Upstream latest detected: sparkey-1.0.0 (current)
- info: No package-manager update timestamp was available.
## 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 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:** 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

## Other Package-Manager Records

- MacPorts - sparkey: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: databases/sparkey/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.
- [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata.
- [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata.
- [autoconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/autoconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew.
- [automake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/automake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew.
- [libtool](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libtool/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew.
- [rocksdb](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rocksdb/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, embedded-database, key-value-store, key-value-stores.
- [berkeley-db](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/berkeley-db/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, embedded-database, key-value-store, storage.
- [tdb](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/tdb/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c-library, cli, data, embedded-database, key-value-store.
- [tokyo-cabinet](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/tokyo-cabinet/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c-library, cli, data, embedded-database, key-value-store.
- [dynomite](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dynomite/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, key-value-store, storage.
- [lmdb](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lmdb/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, embedded-database, key-value-store.
- [qdbm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/qdbm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c-library, cli, data, key-value-store.
- [tkrzw](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/tkrzw/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data, embedded-database, key-value-store.
- [leveldb](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/leveldb/) - Local metadata places this package in an adjacent workflow. Shared terms: cli, data, database, key, key-value.
- [redis-leveldb](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/redis-leveldb/) - Local metadata places this package in an adjacent workflow. Shared terms: cli, data, database, key, key-value-store.

## Combined YAML source

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