# brian-team/brian2

Brian is a free, open source simulator for spiking neural networks.

Repository: https://github.com/brian-team/brian2
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/brian2
Homepage: http://briansimulator.org
Language: Python
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: python, neuroscience, science, differential-equations, spiking-neural-networks, biological-simulations, code-generation, simulation-framework, brian, computational-neuroscience, brian2
Last push: 2026-08-01T09:02:50+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 75/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 95, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5027, "days_push": 32, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1221, forks 292 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:02.123327+00:00)

## What it is
Brian2 is a free, open-source, clock-driven simulator for spiking neural networks written in Python. It lets scientists define neuron and synapse models in standard mathematical notation and simulates them efficiently using runtime code generation to C++.

## Use cases
- simulate spiking neural networks in python
- model hodgkin-huxley neurons
- simulate leaky integrate-and-fire neuron models
- define custom synapse models for neural simulations
- run computational neuroscience research simulations
- solve differential equations for neural models
- simulate networks of thousands of neurons

## When to choose
- you need a flexible, easy-to-learn simulator for spiking neural network research
- you want to write neuron models as mathematical equations without low-level coding
- you need cross-platform, pip/conda-installable scientific simulation in Python
- you want runtime code generation for performance without manual C++ work

## When to avoid
- you need GPU-accelerated large-scale deep learning training rather than biologically detailed spiking simulation
- you need a general machine learning framework like PyTorch or TensorFlow
- you require a non-Python environment

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: simulation, machine-learning
- domain: simulation
- platform: python, cross-platform, windows
- tags: spiking-neural-networks, neural-simulator, differential-equations, computational-neuroscience, scientific-computing, clock-driven-simulation, code-generation, neuroscience, algorithms, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- brian-team/brian2 (main) score 75

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:02.123327+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:15:40.762814+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/brian-team/brian2 (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:02.123327+00:00, sha c892d46cca08)
  - homepage: http://briansimulator.org (fetched 2026-08-29T12:24:21.040602+00:00, sha f19901207c43)
  - site_page: https://briansimulator.org/install (fetched 2026-08-29T12:24:21.049994+00:00, sha 3bca1a5a3319)
  - site_page: https://briansimulator.org/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-29T12:24:21.051840+00:00, sha aad59a195079)
  - registry_pypi: https://pypi.org/pypi/brian2/json (fetched 2026-08-29T12:24:21.053576+00:00, sha 1ef6371e5275)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.