# Install stress with Homebrew, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman Tool to impose load on and stress test a computer system. Version 1.0.7 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:stress ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install stress ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install stress ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: stress from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install stress ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: stress 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#stress ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/st/stress/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S stress ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: stress from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:stress - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.0.7 - **Source summary:** Tool to impose load on and stress test a computer system - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-2.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - stress (cli) - stress (alias) ## Build dependencies - autoconf - automake ## 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, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.0.7 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/resurrecting-open-source-projects/stress - Upstream latest detected: 1.0.7 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## Project history and usage stress is a classic POSIX command-line load generator for CPU, memory, I/O, and disk pressure, used by administrators and kernel/system programmers to expose behavior under heavy load. ### Project history The current upstream README says stress was originally developed by Amos Waterland under GPL-2+. The same README says the original project went unmaintained, that the last original version 1.0.4 was imported from Debian, and that volunteer maintainers later produced newer releases under Resurrecting Open Source Projects. The ChangeLog records Amos Waterland releases through 1.0.4 in 2010, followed by volunteer-maintained releases such as 1.0.5 in 2021 and later 1.0.6 and 1.0.7 in 2023. ### Adoption history stress became common because it does one job predictably and is easy to package. The supplied package-manager facts list it in Homebrew, Debian, Fedora/dnf, Nix, pacman, and Ubuntu. Its continued packaging beside stress-ng shows a conservative Unix pattern: keep the old simple tool available for scripts and documentation while newer tools cover larger test surfaces. ### How it is used The README explicitly says stress is not a benchmark. It is used by system administrators to evaluate scaling, by kernel programmers to evaluate perceived performance characteristics, and by systems programmers to expose bugs that appear under heavy load. Typical package-manager users install it for quick reproducible load generation, CI smoke tests, container experiments, or demos where `stress-ng` would be more featureful than needed. ### Why package nerds care stress is significant because it is the tiny, old-school answer to 'make this machine work hard now.' It has a stable CLI, few conceptual dependencies, and enough distro history that many runbooks still mention it. For package nerds, the 2021 volunteer revival is also a familiar maintenance story: import the last distro-carried source, preserve the interface, modernize the build, and keep the package alive without turning it into a new framework. ### Timeline - 2010-03-19: ChangeLog records version 1.0.4 by Amos Waterland. - 2021: Current README says the unmaintained 1.0.4 source was imported from Debian and updated for the 1.0.5 release. - 2023: ChangeLog records volunteer-maintained 1.0.6 and 1.0.7 releases. ### Related projects - stress-ng is the larger next-generation stress-testing suite for users who need many more stressors and metrics. - Debian packaging is part of the preservation chain for the current upstream source. ### Sources - - - 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:** stress - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - stress - 1.0.7-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: stress from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | tool to impose load on and stress test a computer system | https://github.com/resurrecting-open-source-projects/stress - Nix - stress: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/st/stress/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - stress - 1.0.7-1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: stress from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | tool to impose load on and stress test a computer system | https://github.com/resurrecting-open-source-projects/stress - dnf - stress - 1.0.7-8.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: stress from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | A tool to put given subsystems under a specified load | https://github.com/resurrecting-open-source-projects/stress - pacman - stress - 1.0.7-3: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: stress from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | A tool that stress tests your system (CPU, memory, I/O, disks) | https://github.com/resurrecting-open-source-projects/stress ## 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. - [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. - [stress-ng](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/stress-ng/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: benchmarking, cli, cpu, memory, stress-test. - [fio](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fio/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: benchmarking, cli, io, stress-test, system. - [mbw](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mbw/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: benchmarking, cli, memory, system. - [phoronix-test-suite](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/phoronix-test-suite/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: benchmarking, cli, system. - [libgtop](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libgtop/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cpu, memory, system. - [rainbarf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rainbarf/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cpu, memory, system. - [sysbench](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sysbench/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: benchmarking, cli, system. - [tmux-mem-cpu-load](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/tmux-mem-cpu-load/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cpu, memory, system. - [eatmemory](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/eatmemory/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, memory, stress, stress-testing, system. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/stress.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/stress.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