# Install mbw with Homebrew, apt Memory Bandwidth Benchmark. Version 2.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install mbw. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:mbw ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install mbw ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install mbw ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: mbw from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:mbw - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.0 - **Source summary:** Memory Bandwidth Benchmark - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-08-04T22:13:35+00:00 ## Executables - mbw (cli) - mbw (alias) ## Build dependencies - cmake ## 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: 2026-08-04 - Package-manager version: 2.0 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/raas/mbw - Upstream latest detected: v2.0 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## Project history and usage MBW is a compact command-line memory bandwidth benchmark. It times copies between large in-memory arrays to provide a quick estimate of available memory throughput. ### Project history The upstream manpage is dated April 2006, while the GitHub repository was imported in March 2012. The repository has maintained a small tagged release series through v2.0, reflecting the project's long-lived, single-purpose design. ### Adoption history The supplied package metadata records MBW packages for Homebrew, Debian, and Ubuntu. This modest cross-platform distribution suits a small benchmark intended for quick local checks rather than a comprehensive profiling suite. ### How it is used Users give mbw an array size in MiB and may select tests for memcpy, a simple element-by-element copy, or arbitrary-block copies. The manpage advises avoiding paging and busy systems so the reported throughput better represents memory copying. ### Why package nerds care MBW appeals to package users because it is easy to build, easy to audit, and quick to invoke when a full benchmark suite would be excessive. ### Timeline - 2006: The upstream manpage documents MBW's benchmark interface. - 2012: The code is imported into the public GitHub repository and v1.2 is tagged. - 2022: v1.5 is tagged. - 2023: v2.0 is tagged. ### Related projects - MBW occupies the same package niche as small memory and system benchmarks such as STREAM and lmbench, while remaining focused on copy throughput. ### 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:** mbw - **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 - mbw - 1.2.2-1.2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: mbw from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | memory bandwidth benchmark program | http://ahorvath.web.cern.ch/ahorvath/mbw/ - Ubuntu apt - mbw - 1.2.2-1.2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: mbw from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | memory bandwidth benchmark program | http://ahorvath.web.cern.ch/ahorvath/mbw/ ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://pkg.so/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://pkg.so/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://pkg.so/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://pkg.so/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [cmake](https://pkg.so/brew/cmake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [numactl](https://pkg.so/brew/numactl/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, memory, performance, system. - [fio](https://pkg.so/brew/fio/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: benchmark, cli, performance, system. - [sysbench](https://pkg.so/brew/sysbench/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: benchmark, cli, performance, system. - [vmtouch](https://pkg.so/brew/vmtouch/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, memory, performance, system. - [bonnie++](https://pkg.so/brew/bonnie/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: benchmark, cli, performance, system. - [stress-ng](https://pkg.so/brew/stress-ng/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, memory, system. - [jemalloc](https://pkg.so/brew/jemalloc/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, performance, system. - [asitop](https://pkg.so/brew/asitop/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, performance, system. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/mbw.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/mbw.yml) ## Sources - pkg.so package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - pkgdb category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph