macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install fastklocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 11748
Install fastk with Homebrew
K-mer counter for high-fidelity shotgun datasets. Version 1.2 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
K-mer counter for high-fidelity shotgun datasets
Project links
Commands and aliases
- FastK
- Fastcat
- Fastcp
- Fastmerge
- Fastmv
- Fastrm
- Haplex
- Histex
- Homex
- KmerMap
- Logex
- Profex
- Symmex
- Tabex
- Vennex
history
Project history and usage
FastK is Gene Myers' k-mer counter for high-quality shotgun sequencing data, especially Illumina and PacBio HiFi datasets. It is packaged as a command-line scientific tool rather than a general developer utility.
Project history
The README identifies Gene Myers as author, gives July 22, 2020 as the first date, and documents FastK as a k-mer counter optimized for high-quality assembly datasets. Its command suite includes FastK itself plus utilities for moving, merging, concatenating, inspecting, and mapping FastK output files.
Adoption history
FastK's public footprint is niche and bioinformatics-specific. Its adoption signal is strongest in packaging and genomics workflows that need efficient k-mer histograms, tables, and profiles for large sequencing data rather than in broad developer communities.
How it is used
FastK consumes CRAM, BAM, SAM, FASTA, FASTQ, gzip-compressed sequence files, and Dazzler databases, producing histograms, sorted k-mer/count tables, and optional sequence profiles. The README emphasizes low-memory operation, temporary disk usage, multithreading, and HPC workflows such as splitting data and merging tables.
Why package nerds care
For package nerds, FastK is interesting because it is a domain-heavy command suite where filesystem layout is part of the interface: stub files, hidden sidecar files, table/profile extensions, and companion commands such as Fastrm and Fastmerge all have to be packaged together correctly.
Timeline
- 2020: README records the first FastK date as July 22, 2020.
- 2020: GitHub repository created on October 19, 2020.
- 2021: README current date records April 18, 2021.
Related projects
- KMC3 is named in the README as a performance comparison point.
- DAZZ_DB is supported as an input format.
- merfin is named as a downstream use case for relative k-mer profiles.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
FastK | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
Fastcat | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
Fastcp | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
Fastmerge | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
Fastmv | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
Fastrm | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
Haplex | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
Histex | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
Homex | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
KmerMap | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
Logex | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
Profex | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
Symmex | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
Tabex | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
Vennex | 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 version1.2
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:fastk |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.2 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/thegenemyers/FASTK |
| Repository | https://github.com/thegenemyers/FASTK |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
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
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation