# Install minibwa with Homebrew

Successor of BWA-MEM for short-read alignment. Version 0.6 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-30.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:minibwa
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install minibwa
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:minibwa
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Package manager page:** <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/minibwa>
- **Version:** 0.6
- **Source summary:** Successor of BWA-MEM for short-read alignment
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/lh3/minibwa>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/lh3/minibwa>
- **License:** MIT AND Apache-2.0
- **Source archive:** <https://github.com/lh3/minibwa/archive/refs/tags/v0.6.tar.gz>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-30T15:48:22Z
- **Generated:** 2026-08-04T22:13:35+00:00

## Executables

- minibwa (cli)
- minibwa (alias)

## Install behavior

- Post-install hook: not defined
- Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-04
- Package-manager version: 0.6
- Package-manager updated: 2026-07-30
- Local data: ok
- Upstream repository: https://github.com/lh3/minibwa
- Upstream latest detected: v0.6 (current)
## Project history and usage

minibwa is a genomic read aligner from the BWA/minimap2 lineage. The repository identifies it as the successor of BWA-MEM for short-read alignment, and the arXiv preprint by Heng Li and Nils Homer presents it as a next iteration of BWA-MEM for standard whole-genome short reads, Hi-C reads, accurate long reads, and directional bisulfite sequencing data.

### Project history

The design deliberately mixes earlier tools by the same lineage: a BWA-MEM-style BWT/FM-index and variable-length seed search, ropebwt3-inspired supermaximal exact-match work, and minimap2-style chaining plus SIMD-based base alignment. The authors report comparable accuracy with much higher speed than BWA-MEM and BWA-MEM2, while noting that exact BWA-MEM compatibility is traded for algorithmic improvement.

### How it is used

In practice, minibwa is a bioinformatics command-line aligner for pipelines that map sequencing reads to a reference genome before variant calling, methylation analysis, or related downstream analysis. Its package-manager niche is narrow but important: it gives genomics users an installable replacement candidate for BWA-MEM where performance and support for newer read types matter more than byte-for-byte legacy output.

### Sources

- <https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.15357>
- <https://arxiv.org/html/2606.15357v1>
- <https://github.com/lh3/bwa>
- <https://github.com/lh3/minibwa>


## Security Notes

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for minibwa. Package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.


## Source Database Details

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


## 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.
- [Scientific computing packages](https://pkg.so/scientific-computing-tools/) - Matched scientific computing metadata.
- [blast](https://pkg.so/brew/blast/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: bioinformatics, cli, genomics, science, sequence-alignment.
- [minimap2](https://pkg.so/brew/minimap2/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: bioinformatics, cli, genomics, science, sequence-alignment.
- [mummer](https://pkg.so/brew/mummer/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: bioinformatics, cli, genomics, science, sequence-alignment.
- [lastz](https://pkg.so/brew/lastz/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: bioinformatics, cli, genomics, science, sequence-alignment.
- [samtools](https://pkg.so/brew/samtools/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: bioinformatics, cli, genomics, science.
- [diamond](https://pkg.so/brew/diamond/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: bioinformatics, cli, science, sequence-alignment.
- [bedtools](https://pkg.so/brew/bedtools/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: bioinformatics, cli, genomics, science.
- [mafft](https://pkg.so/brew/mafft/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: bioinformatics, cli, science, sequence-alignment.
- [bwa](https://pkg.so/brew/bwa/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: alignment, bioinformatics, bwa, cli, science.
- [polypolish](https://pkg.so/brew/polypolish/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: bioinformatics, cli, genomics, read, science.

## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/minibwa.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/minibwa.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- package-page enrichment
- curated package history
- package version freshness
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- package relationship graph
- cross-ecosystem install command graph