macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install lavatlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 7015
Install lavat with Homebrew, Nix
Lava lamp simulation using metaballs in the terminal. Version 3.0.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#lavat.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#lavatnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/la/lavat/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Lava lamp simulation using metaballs in the terminal
Project links
Commands and aliases
- lavat
history
Project history and usage
lavat is a terminal lava-lamp simulation that renders moving metaballs in a Unix-like terminal. It is a small C-and-make style visual toy rather than a media-processing framework, but package managers classify it naturally with terminal animation and screensaver-like utilities.
Project history
The GitHub repository was created on 2022-10-17 and its first GitHub release, v1.0.0, was published the same day. The README presents it as a little program for simulating a lava lamp in the terminal, requiring a Unix-like system, a C compiler, and make.
Subsequent releases added interactive and visual controls: v2.0.0 on 2023-01-14 added terminal-resize detection and runtime controls, while later release metadata records v2.1.0 on 2024-01-25, v2.2.0 on 2025-04-18, and v3.0.0 on 2026-01-27.
Adoption history
lavat spread through lightweight package channels rather than a large application ecosystem. The README advertises repository availability through packaging badges, and Homebrew and Nix package metadata both list it for convenient installation.
How it is used
Users run lavat directly in a terminal and tune colors, gradients, speed, metaball radius, rim size, ball count, containment, party modes, and runtime controls. Its role is mostly decorative: a terminal animation, demo, or screensaver-like process.
Why package nerds care
lavat is package-nerd catnip because it is the tiny terminal visual toy every package index needs: simple to build, visibly testable, and dependent on terminal behavior rather than a GUI stack.
Timeline
- 2022: GitHub repository created on 2022-10-17.
- 2022: v1.0.0 release published on 2022-10-17.
- 2023: v2.0.0 release published on 2023-01-14 with terminal resize and runtime controls.
- 2024: v2.1.0 release published on 2024-01-25.
- 2025: v2.2.0 release published on 2025-04-18.
- 2026: v3.0.0 release published on 2026-01-27.
Related projects
- Related ideas include terminal screensavers, metaball demos, ASCII/ANSI animation programs, Homebrew packaging, and Nix packaging.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
lavat | 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 version3.0.0
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:lavat |
|---|---|
| Version | 3.0.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/AngelJumbo/lavat |
| Repository | https://github.com/AngelJumbo/lavat |
| 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.
Nix95%
lavat
nix profile install nixpkgs#lavat- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Lavat
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