Brutal Unix is a collection of small, sharp tools that run entirely from source on contemporary Unix OSes, with no dependencies beyond the standard utilities provided by the system.

Because they are source-based, Brutal Unix tools are easy to audit and can be embedded directly in your projects without a package manager. And because they target the upwardly compatible POSIX.1 standard, they will continue to work unmodified for decades to come.

Brutal Unix tools are brutal in the architectural sense: made from a few industrial materials, with internal mechanisms exposed in a predictable and regular way. Some people will find them ugly; others—maybe you?—will admire their honesty.

Brat

The Brutal Runner for Automated Tests is a TAP-compatible parallel test runner. Good software starts with good tests, so Brat is the first and most essential tool in the Brutal Unix suite.

Brut

The Brutal Router for Unix Tools is a single-file command router. It lets you organize your program into commands and namespaces composed of many small executables and scripts using a standard directory layout.

brut-pack

Bundle and distribute your source-based Unix program as a single plain-text script with brut-pack. Keep the organizational clarity of multiple source files in development while shipping one auditable executable.

Dyad

Run two commands side-by-side with optional piping and exit status control using Dyad. Think of it as a customizable shell pipe operator, or a simple replacement for a local process manager.

The Brutal Unix project is explicitly anti-fascist and pro-human. Brutal Unix software is handwritten without the use of generative AI and—with the exception of the maximally permissive Brut—distributed under the terms of the MIT + Trans Rights license. Trans rights are human rights.

Commercial support for Brutal Unix software is available through Spinel Cooperative.