macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install pnetcdflocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install pnetcdfMacPorts ports tree · science/pnetcdf/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew / rank 7016
Install pnetcdf with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, apt, zypper
Parallel netCDF library for scientific data using the OpenMPI library. Version 1.15.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-09-18. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install libpnetcdf-dev.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#pnetcdfnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/pn/pnetcdf/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install libpnetcdf-devDebian stable package indexes · libpnetcdf-dev · source: deb.debian.org
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install pnetcdf-docopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · pnetcdf-doc · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Parallel netCDF library for scientific data using the OpenMPI library
Project links
Commands and aliases
- cdfdiff
- ncmpidiff
- ncmpidump
- ncmpigen
- ncoffsets
- ncvalidator
- pnetcdf-config
- pnetcdf_version
history
Project history and usage
PnetCDF is a high-performance parallel I/O library for reading and writing classic netCDF CDF-1, CDF-2, and CDF-5 files from MPI applications.
Project history
Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratory started PnetCDF in 2001 independently of Unidata's netCDF implementation. Its goal was a high-performance parallel library for classic netCDF formats, with APIs modeled on netCDF but prefixed `ncmpi_` because of their close coupling to MPI.
The source repository moved from Argonne's Subversion service to GitHub in 2018. Development subsequently expanded format support to CDF-5 and added nonblocking APIs, utilities, performance tuning facilities, and language interfaces.
Adoption history
PnetCDF was designed with netCDF-like APIs to ease adoption by existing scientific applications. NetCDF-C later gained the ability to dispatch classic-format parallel I/O through PnetCDF, allowing programs using the netCDF parallel API to select PnetCDF for CDF-1, CDF-2, and CDF-5 data.
The project has received continuing US Department of Energy support and is used by scientific and climate-computing projects such as E3SM-related I/O software, PIO, and WRF.
How it is used
Applications link against PnetCDF and use its `ncmpi_` C or Fortran interfaces for collective, independent, and nonblocking access to shared netCDF files. Developers use `pnetcdf-config` for build flags and utilities such as `ncmpidump`, `ncmpigen`, `ncmpidiff`, `ncoffsets`, and `ncvalidator` for inspection and validation.
PnetCDF requires an MPI implementation with MPI-IO support. A parallel filesystem is not mandatory, but appropriate file striping and collective access patterns can substantially improve performance.
Why package nerds care
PnetCDF is a classic HPC packaging concern: an MPI-dependent library whose ABI, compiler wrappers, MPI implementation, and filesystem behavior matter to downstream scientific applications. It preserves the traditional netCDF formats while exposing collective, independent, and nonblocking MPI-I/O operations.
Timeline
- 2001: Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratory started the project.
- 2003: The project presented its design and performance work at the Supercomputing conference.
- 2018-06-01: Source development migrated from Argonne Subversion to GitHub.
- 2024: The associated PnetCDF-Python package reached its first public release.
Related projects
- Unidata netCDF defines the compatible classic data formats and can dispatch parallel classic-file operations through PnetCDF.
- MPI and MPI-IO provide PnetCDF's process coordination and parallel I/O substrate.
- Parallel HDF5 serves a neighboring role for HDF5-backed data and is the other backend discussed in netCDF parallel-I/O documentation.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
library-like package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- library-like package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:library-like
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 5 platform targets.
- Installs with 2 runtime 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
cdfdiff | cli | global executable | |
ncmpidiff | cli | global executable | |
ncmpidump | cli | global executable | |
ncmpigen | cli | global executable | |
ncoffsets | cli | global executable | |
ncvalidator | cli | global executable | |
pnetcdf-config | cli | global executable | |
pnetcdf_version | 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 generated2026-11-04
manager version1.15.1
manager updated2026-09-18
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://parallel-netcdf.github.io/index.html
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://parallel-netcdf.github.io/index.htmlnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:pnetcdf |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.15.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/pnetcdf |
| Homepage | https://parallel-netcdf.github.io/index.html |
| Upstream docs | https://parallel-netcdf.github.io/index.html |
| License | NetCDF |
| Source archive | https://parallel-netcdf.github.io/Release/pnetcdf-1.15.1.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-09-18T23:48:39Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | gcc, open-mpi |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_golden_gate, arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_tahoe, 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 | pnetcdf |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
libpnetcdf-dev 1.14.0-2
Development files for the parallel netCDF library
https://parallel-netcdf.github.io/
sudo apt install libpnetcdf-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pnetcdf
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pnetcdf
Debian apt95%
libpnetcdf6 1.14.0-2
Libraryfor reading and writing parallel NetCDF files
https://parallel-netcdf.github.io/
sudo apt install libpnetcdf6- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pnetcdf
- 5 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pnetcdf
Debian apt95%
pnetcdf-bin 1.14.0-2
Programs for reading and writing parallel NetCDF files
https://parallel-netcdf.github.io/
sudo apt install pnetcdf-bin- Section: science
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pnetcdf
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pnetcdf
Nix95%
pnetcdf
nix profile install nixpkgs#pnetcdf- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pnetcdf
Ubuntu apt95%
libpnetcdf-dev 1.12.3-2build2
Development files for the parallel netCDF library
https://trac.mcs.anl.gov/projects/parallel-netcdf
sudo apt install libpnetcdf-dev- Section: universe/libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pnetcdf
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pnetcdf
Ubuntu apt95%
libpnetcdf0d 1.12.3-2build2
Libraryfor reading and writing parallel NetCDF files
https://trac.mcs.anl.gov/projects/parallel-netcdf
sudo apt install libpnetcdf0d- Section: universe/libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pnetcdf
- 5 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pnetcdf
Ubuntu apt95%
pnetcdf-bin 1.12.3-2build2
Programs for reading and writing parallel NetCDF files
https://trac.mcs.anl.gov/projects/parallel-netcdf
sudo apt install pnetcdf-bin- Section: universe/science
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: pnetcdf
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pnetcdf
zypper95%
pnetcdf-doc 1.14.1-1.3
Documentation for pnetcdf
https://parallel-netcdf.github.io/
sudo zypper install pnetcdf-doc- License: NetCDF
- Category: Documentation/Other
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: pnetcdf
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pnetcdf
MacPorts95%
pnetcdf
sudo port install pnetcdf- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pnetcdf
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.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation