# Install eatmemory with Homebrew, apk, MacPorts

Simple program to allocate memory from the command-line. Version 1.1.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-15. Also installable with apk: sudo apk add eatmemory.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:eatmemory
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install eatmemory
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install eatmemory
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/eatmemory/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- apk (92%):

```sh
sudo apk add eatmemory
```

  Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: eatmemory from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:eatmemory
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.1.0
- **Source summary:** Simple program to allocate memory from the command-line
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/julman99/eatmemory>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/julman99/eatmemory>
- **Last updated:** 2026-05-15T16:21:06Z
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- eatmemory (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 1.1.0
## Project history and usage

eatmemory is a tiny command-line utility that allocates and holds a requested amount of RAM. Its significance is practical: it gives operators and developers a simple, packageable way to create memory pressure without installing a large stress-testing suite.

### Project history

The public repository was created in August 2012. The README frames the tool as a one-job C99 binary that allocates, verifies, holds, and frees resident committed memory.

Recent releases show the project being modernized rather than expanded into a suite. Version 1.0.0 added broader platform work, CI organization, and release binaries; version 1.1.0 followed in May 2026 with packaged binaries for multiple Linux, macOS, and Windows architectures.

### Adoption history

The input metadata records packaging in Homebrew, MacPorts, and Alpine. The upstream README also documents Homebrew installation and an official Docker image, which fits the tool's common use in local, container, and CI memory-limit tests.

### How it is used

Users run commands such as `eatmemory 1G` or percentage-based allocations to test swap, container memory limits, Kubernetes eviction behavior, alerts, degradation under pressure, autoscaling, and noisy-neighbor scenarios.

### Why package nerds care

eatmemory is a good example of the Unix packaging sweet spot: a tiny C tool with no runtime dependencies, obvious behavior, and measurable operational value. It overlaps with stress-ng but intentionally keeps the interface narrow.

### Timeline

- 2012: Public repository created.
- 2015: v0.1.4 release published.
- 2023: v0.1.9 added timed exit and improved argument parsing.
- 2026: v1.0.0 and v1.1.0 releases added modern release binaries and platform support.

### Related projects

- stress-ng is the comparison tool named by the README. The README also documents Docker Hub image usage for container memory testing.

### Sources

- <https://github.com/julman99/eatmemory>
- <https://github.com/julman99/eatmemory/releases/tag/v1.0.0>
- <https://github.com/julman99/eatmemory/releases/tag/v1.1.0>


## Security Notes

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


## Other Package-Manager Records

- apk - eatmemory - 0.1.6-r2: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: eatmemory from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Simple C program to allocate memory from the command line | https://github.com/julman99/eatmemory
- MacPorts - eatmemory: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/eatmemory/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1


## Combined YAML source

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


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph