macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install igvlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 4783
Install igv with Homebrew, apt, Nix, scoop
Interactive Genomics Viewer. Version 2.19.8 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-11. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install igv.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install igvDebian stable package indexes · igv · source: deb.debian.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#igvnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ig/igv/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Windows
Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install extras/igvScoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/igv.json · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Interactive Genomics Viewer
Project links
Commands and aliases
- igv
- igvtools
history
Project history and usage
The Integrative Genomics Viewer is a desktop genome visualization tool for interactively exploring large genomic datasets, annotations, alignments, and metadata across local, public, and cloud-hosted sources.
Project history
IGV originated at the Broad Institute as a response to the growing size and heterogeneity of genomic datasets. The 2011 Nature Biotechnology paper introduced IGV as a tool for integrated visual exploration, and the 2013 Briefings in Bioinformatics paper described it as a high-performance viewer for large heterogeneous genomics data.
The desktop application later became one member of a broader IGV family. The official desktop docs list the original Java desktop application, IGV-Web, and igv.js as related forms, while the GitHub README identifies the desktop repository as the Mac, Windows, and Linux application.
Adoption history
IGV's adoption is unusually strong for a desktop scientific package because it became both a research citation target and a practical review tool. The docs explicitly tell researchers how to cite IGV, and the project site lists follow-on publications including variant review and igv.js.
How it is used
Desktop IGV is used to load genome references and inspect aligned reads, variants, annotations, expression data, and other genomics tracks. The Homebrew package exposes both `igv` and `igvtools`, reflecting the split between interactive visualization and command-line data preparation.
Why package nerds care
IGV is package-nerd interesting because it is a heavyweight scientific GUI shipped through developer package managers. It crosses desktop launchers, Java runtime bundling, genomics file formats, command-line helper tools, and citation-grade scientific reproducibility.
Timeline
- 2011: Nature Biotechnology paper introduced Integrative Genomics Viewer.
- 2012: Public GitHub repository created for the desktop application.
- 2013: Briefings in Bioinformatics article described high-performance genomics data visualization and exploration with IGV.
- 2017: Cancer Research article documented IGV use in variant review.
- 2023: igv.js publication documented an embeddable JavaScript implementation of IGV.
Related projects
- Related IGV projects include IGV-Web, igv.js, igv-notebook, and igvtools. In package-manager terms, IGV also sits near bioinformatics tools that produce or transform BAM/CRAM, VCF, BED, and genome annotation files.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
igv | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
igvtools | 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 version2.19.8
manager updated2026-06-11
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:igv |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.19.8 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://igv.org/doc/desktop/ |
| Last updated | 2026-06-11T23:03:30Z |
| 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.
Debian apt95%
igv 2.18.5+dfsg-1
Integrative Genomics Viewer
https://www.broadinstitute.org/igv/
sudo apt install igv- Section: science
- Architecture: all
- 19 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Igv
Nix95%
igv
nix profile install nixpkgs#igv- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Igv
Ubuntu apt95%
igv 2.17.3+dfsg-1
Integrative Genomics Viewer
https://www.broadinstitute.org/igv/
sudo apt install igv- Section: universe/science
- Architecture: all
- 19 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Igv
Scoop95%
extras/igv
scoop install extras/igv- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Igv
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