macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install bsdmakelocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install bsdmakeMacPorts ports tree · devel/bsdmake/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew / rank 9158
Install bsdmake with Homebrew, MacPorts
BSD version of the Make build tool. Version 24 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-10. Also installable with macports: sudo port install bsdmake.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
BSD version of the Make build tool
Project links
Commands and aliases
- bsdmake
history
Project history and usage
bsdmake is Apple's packaged BSD make implementation, a descendant of the Berkeley/PWB make tradition rather than GNU make. It is a compatibility package for build systems and ports that expect BSD make semantics, makefile names, variables, and system include behavior.
Project history
The Apple open-source manual page carries Regents of the University of California copyright notices from 1990 and 1993 and an SCCS marker for Berkeley make. Its HISTORY section says a `make` command appeared in PWB UNIX, placing BSD make in the long Unix build-tool lineage.
The manual documents behavior that distinguishes BSD make from a generic `make`: it reads `sys.mk`, searches for `BSDmakefile`, `makefile`, and `Makefile`, supports `.OBJDIR`, `mkdep`, BSD-style include paths under `/usr/share/mk`, and exposes debugging and compatibility flags.
Adoption history
bsdmake survives in package managers because not every makefile is written for GNU make. The provided package facts show Homebrew and MacPorts packaging, which is especially relevant on macOS where developers may need a BSD-flavored make as an explicit command.
Its adoption is mostly compatibility-driven: users install it when building older BSD-derived software, ports, or makefiles that rely on BSD make features or system makefile conventions.
How it is used
`bsdmake` maintains program dependencies from makefiles, with options to select makefiles, include paths, system makefile directories, variables, compatibility mode, and parallel jobs.
The command reads the first available `BSDmakefile`, `makefile`, or `Makefile`, and also reads `.depend` when available. Those defaults make it fit naturally into BSD source trees and ports-style builds.
Why package nerds care
bsdmake matters because `make` is not one portable language in practice. Packaging BSD make separately lets build recipes declare the dialect they need instead of hoping the system `make` happens to match.
For package maintainers, it is one of those old tools that prevents a surprising amount of build breakage: boring, small, and valuable precisely because it preserves historical semantics.
Timeline
- PWB UNIX era: The manual page's HISTORY section says a make command appeared in PWB UNIX.
- 1990-1993: Berkeley copyright notices in the Apple manual page reflect the BSD lineage of this make implementation.
- 1995-06-13: The manual page includes a Berkeley SCCS marker for make.1 version 8.8.
- 2005-10-14: Apple's bsdmake manual page date records the documented command behavior shipped in this distribution.
- 2026: Provided package facts show bsdmake packaged by Homebrew and MacPorts.
Related projects
- GNU make is the dominant alternative make dialect and the main compatibility contrast.
- NetBSD make, FreeBSD make, and OpenBSD make are close relatives in the BSD make family.
- mkdep and `/usr/share/mk` are part of the BSD build-system environment documented by the manual page.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: yellow
generalized runtime or code generation signal.
Risk classifier
yellow risk · medium confidence · runtime
Why
- generalized runtime or code generation signal
Signals
- text:build tool
Install behavior
- No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
bsdmake | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
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 generated2026-08-03
manager version24
manager updated2026-07-10
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:bsdmake |
|---|---|
| Version | 24 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://opensource.apple.com/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/bsdmake |
| Last updated | 2026-07-10T11:27:23-04:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
MacPorts95%
bsdmake
sudo port install bsdmake- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Bsdmake
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
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation