# clibs/clib

Package manager for the C programming language.

Repository: https://github.com/clibs/clib
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/clib
Language: C
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: clib, c, package, manager
Last push: 2026-07-18T01:44:01+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 65/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 93, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5057, "days_push": 47, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 5142, forks 264 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:11.154157+00:00)

## What it is
clib is a lightweight package manager for the C programming language that installs small, standalone 'micro' C libraries from a git-based registry. It fetches dependencies into your repository so end users don't need clib installed, fitting into any existing C workflow.

## Use cases
- install C libraries from the command line
- manage dependencies for a C project
- search for small standalone C packages
- bootstrap a new C project with clib init
- vendor C dependencies into a repo without requiring a package manager
- discover scattered C utility libraries

## When to choose
- you want small, decoupled C libraries instead of large frameworks
- you need dependencies checked into your repo so contributors don't need the tool
- you prefer a git-based, zero-registry-server package manager
- you want to add package management to an existing C build workflow with minimal friction

## When to avoid
- you need a full-featured dependency resolver with version constraints and lockfiles
- your project relies on large frameworks or system libraries
- you want a central registry with package metadata beyond the wiki listing
- you need binary package distribution rather than source fetching

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: package-manager, cli, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, programming-languages
- platform: cli, cross-platform
- tags: c, package-management, dependency-management, micro-libraries, git-based, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- clibs/clib (main) score 65

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:11.154157+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 2026-08-29T18:01:59.577488+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/clibs/clib (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:11.154157+00:00, sha dd523f101de0)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.